An Unlikely Guest
by xbleeple
Summary: Sharon and Andy encounter an unlikely guest in their lives as they continue to move forward in their relationship.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! This story takes place after the mid-season finale for this year, so the entire show is fair game, and this is going to be a lengthy multichapter ride. Enjoy!**

* * *

Sharon lifts her hand in a small wave as she catches Andy's eye as the team returns to the office from lunch. She turns her attention back to the phone wedged between her ear and shoulder as she hears the other end pick up again.

"I can't believe you just put me on hold."

"I have paying customers that also require my assistance," Gavin bites back with a teasing tone, "Of course I can also take this reservation and give it to someone else if you want me to."

"No, no, please," Sharon replies, a pouting tone making it's way into her voice, "I'm sorry."

"Thank you. The reservation is under your name and it's for 730. Don't be late. They will give that table away in a heartbeat."

"Have I told you what an angel you are?"

"Not today, but you still owe me one."

"I know, I know. I have to go, I'll call this weekend? Maybe drinks?"

"Definitely, I'm going to need a recap of this hot date night of yours." Sharon rolls her eyes and lets a grin spread across her lips.

"Goodbye, Gavin."

"Bye, Shar. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That doesn't leave much," Sharon clips back before dropping the receiver back into it's cradle and going out to catch up with the team.

* * *

Sharon bites her lip as she peruses through her underwear drawer. She plucks a new black lace thong out of the pile, pulling them on under her dress. Her hands flit gently over the skirt, putting it back in place before she gives herself a once over in the mirror. Sharon flips the light off on her way out of her closet, meeting Andy in the living room. A shy smile crosses her lips as she steps into her shoes before leaning up to drop a quick kiss on his lips.

"You're looking particularly handsome tonight," Sharon comments as she takes in Andy's casual appearance, noting he had worn her favorite jeans. She smoothes her hand over the black button down shirt he was wearing with a smile.

"You look quite fantastic yourself. Is this new?" Andy inquires as his hand drifts down the side of her dress to rest on her hip.

"It is. I think Emily sent me the link hoping I would get it for her. You like?"

"Very much," Andy assure her with another kiss, "Should we get going?"

"Yes," Sharon responds with a nod, pulling away and grabbing her purse, "Gavin impressed that they are quick about giving the tables away if you're not on time for your reservation."

Andy grabs his car keys and guides her out of the house, shutting and locking the door behind them. Sharon walks around to the passenger side of the car and gets in, waiting for Andy to get in and start driving before taking his hand in hers and threading their fingers together. Her thumb absentmindedly strokes over his knuckles as he drives, her gaze focused out the car window at the passing lights.

"You alright?" Andy inquires, squeezing Sharon's hand. She looks over at him and smiles with a nod.

"Yeah, of course. Just thinking."

"About anything in particular?"

"My stomach feels like I've eaten a dozen butterflies," Sharon says quietly, letting out a small chuckle, "You would think it was our first date."

"It's been a while since we've been out," Andy comments.

"Since you've been cleared," Sharon points out, "Are we still sure about this?"

"I am if you are," Andy assures her, pulling into a parking spot and turning off the car. He turns his body to look over at Sharon, disentangling his hand from hers to run along her cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear, "I know that everything that has happened the last few months has been terrifying. But I'm better, hell I'm probably more fit now than I have been in the last five years we've known each other. All I've dreamed about since I woke up in the hospital is holding you and touching you again."

"I want that too," Sharon tells him her voice softened by the emotion running through her system, leaning into his touch gently, "I do. I'm just nervous."

"I can work with nerves," Andy smiles, capturing her lips in a soft kiss, "Let's get inside, wouldn't want them to give our table away."

"Good idea," Sharon smiles, pulling away from Andy's hand and getting out of the car. She waits for him to round the bumper before taking his proffered arm and following him into the restaurant.

The new Italian restaurant had opened the week before, becoming one of LA's new hot spot eateries for the moment. Gavin knew the owner from other social circles and was able to secure Sharon a reservation for her and Andy to have a nice date night. Sharon could see why the place was popular as she looked around taking in the crowds, the warm air smelled of pasta and wine making you feel like you had just walked into your grandmother's kitchen in Rome and not an upscale restaurant downtown LA.

Andy nudges Sharon out of her observations as they approach the host stand. Sharon gives her name with a small smile, holding onto Andy's hand as they follow along to their table, nestled in the corner. Andy pulls Sharon's chair out for her, pushing it in when she sits before taking his seat across from her. Her hand instinctively finds his across the table as their waiter rattles off a couple specials to them before asking if he could get them anything to drink.

"I think sparkling water would be great right now," Sharon comments as she picks up her menu, casting a glance at Andy as he nods in approval. The waiter nods before bowing away from their table. They both take a moment to scan through the menu before Andy squeezes her hand.

"What looks good to you?" He inquires, setting down his own menu on the table. Sharon pulls her eyes away from the paper in front of her and smiles as she sets it down on the table top.

"I think the oxtail tagliatelle has me, what about you?"

"I was leaning towards the goat cheese ravioli."

"Let me try some?" Sharon inquires as her fingertips play over the palm of his hand, a sparkle in her green eyes.

"Always," Andy smiles as he captures her hand in his grip, bringing her knuckles to his lips and placing a small kiss. Sharon's cheeks color as she blushes, making no attempt to pull her hand back.

* * *

Sharon leans forward as Andy holds the last bite of cheesecake out to her, closing her mouth around the fork before pulling away with a small hum.

"Thank you," Sharon says after swallowing, her tongue darting out to clear away a stray smear from her lip. Andy sets the fork down on the plate, his eyes never leaving hers as he rests his chin in his hand.

"If I had known feeding you could be that interesting, I would have started doing it months ago," Andy comments with a grin. Sharon laughs and shakes her head, her cheeks coloring once again. Andy's grin widens as he chuckles. He pays their bill before standing up, offering a hand out to Sharon.

"Come on," Andy calls as he wiggles his fingers. Sharon takes his hand and stands, following him out of the restaurant. She steps closer as a breeze sweeps by, chilling her bare arms. It might have been the middle of March but it had been quite a warm day earlier teasing her into leaving the house without a jacket, the cool only seeping in once the sun had sunk below the horizon. Andy wraps an arm around her for warmth, pressing a kiss to her temple as he guides her towards the car.

"What did you think of dinner?" Sharon asks as she leans into him a little more.

"It was great, the heartiest meal I've had in a while. Definitely feeling why my arteries were a little clogged up."

"They were more than a little clogged up," Sharon reprimands, looking up at Andy with narrowed eyes.

"Okay, okay, I get it, not funny yet."

"Never funny, I almost lost you," Sharon says, leaning up on her toes to kiss Andy before escaping from his hold once they reached the car. Andy opens her door for her, holding her hand as she climbs inside, getting settled in her seat before he shuts the door and moves around to the driver's side.

Instead of finding Andy's hand on the way home Sharon's hand found a home on his thigh, stroking gently through the broken in denim he wore. Andy shifts his seat a bit when they stop at a light, trying to get more comfortable. Sharon's focus from the scenery breaks as she feels him move under her hand. She arches her eyebrow as her hand stills, a small grin starting to play on her lips.

"What?" Andy asks when he catches her staring at him. Sharon's grin widens and she slips her hand higher up his thigh, massaging with more intent than before, "Good to know that sexy imp inside you hasn't gone anywhere."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sharon replies, her voice deepened with desire as her fingers continue to tease him through his pants. Andy's foot presses down on the gas a little harder when her hand slips even higher, full on cupping him through his zipper, "I would suggest keeping in mind that if we get pulled over this effectively stops."

"Yes, ma'am," Andy practically groans, easing his foot up slightly as he shifts his hips into her hand. Sharon grins and leans over, pressing a kiss to his neck, gently nipping behind his ear. Soon she feels the familiar jostle of the car as Andy pulls into their driveway and pulls her hand away after a quick squeeze.

A small chuckle bubbles up from Sharon's throat as Andy practically leaps from the car, moving around to her side and wrenching her door open. She lets him pull her out before leaning up to capture his lips in a heated kiss. Andy uses his weight to press her into the car, effectively shutting the passenger side door as well. Sharon indulges him for a moment before pushing him away gently and taking his hand to pull him inside the house.

Andy once again uses his body weight to press Sharon into the door, slamming it shut as he presses her up against the wood with a firm grip to her hips and a guiding kiss. Sharon moans as she kicks off her shoes before lifting her legs to wrap around Andy's waist. The loose skirt easily pools around her hips as his press firmly into hers, his arousal rubbing teasingly against hers, too many layers between them. She indulges her boyfriend in a front door make out session for a while longer before tugging his lips away from hers with her hand that had tangled in his grey hair.

"As much as I want you to fuck me," Sharon murmurs in his ear, "I'd prefer we did it in a bed."

Andy groans at Sharon's coarse language, shifting his grip on her to hold her to his body instead of the door. He carries her down the hallway towards their bedroom, nudging the door all the way open with his foot before depositing her on the end of the king size bed, with a puff of covers fluffing up around her. Sharon giggles as she looks up at Andy, tugging him closer by his belt loops.

"Thank you," Sharon hums as her fingers begin to work on his belt.

"I don't think you can tell me to fuck you and then say thank you."

"You know how I am about social niceties," Sharon reminds him as she tugs his fly open, shoving the denim down to the floor, "I asked for something, you delivered, and I thanked you."

Andy steps out of his pants and pulls his button down over his head, tossing it on the floor as well. Sharon grins and runs her hands up his thighs, teasingly squeezing his ass with both hands before scraping her nails back down. Andy grunts and nudges her hands away, reaching behind her to find the zipper for her dress. She leans her head forward a bit and shifts her hair to the side, helping him find the hidden release.

Andy drags the zipper down before moving back around to the front and pulling it down his girlfriend's arms before shifting it down her legs. He pushes her back further on the bed, climbing up himself and settling between her hips as he claims her lips once again. Sharon moans into his mouth as his calloused fingers trail down her side, roughly cupping her naked breast in his palm.

"You didn't have a bra on."

"Mmm," Sharon hums, her eyes fluttering closed as she arches into his touch, "Didn't have one that went with the dress."

"I've been sitting across from you all night imagining taking it off, and you weren't even wearing one," Andy slightly complains as he dips his head to shower attention on the breast not in his hand. Sharon bites her lip and moans as she feels Andy's lips close around the flesh. His teeth and tongue tease and soothe for a while before he pulls away, sitting up on his knees as he looks down at Sharon, his brown eyes almost completely dark.

Sharon grins up at Andy with equally dark green eyes as her fingers teasingly stroke up the tops of his thighs before getting tangled in the band of his boxers. Her eyes flick away from his as she tugs the waistband down eyeing his hard manhood hungrily. One hand lets go of his underwear and trails over his engorged shaft, stroking him firmly a few times. Andy pulls her hands away from him before standing up, shedding the last of his clothing before hooking his fingers in the last item of hers to go. He tugs the scrap of black lacy fabric down her long legs, dropping it on the ever growing pile of clothes at the foot of their bed.

Sharon takes a shuddering breath as she watches Andy move back up the bed with a predatory look in his eye. Her arms wrap around his form with ease as her legs find a home around his hips. She captures his lips in a delicate kiss as she pulls him closer, resting her forehead against his just for a moment.

"I've missed you," Sharon comments as her fingertips stroke over Andy's back, reveling in the feel of him under her hands, that he was there with her. Andy smiles and presses a kiss to Sharon's nose, laughing as she wrinkles it.

"I've missed you too, Shar."

"Good," Sharon replies as she tightens her legs around Andy's waist, pulling him closer. Andy captures Sharon's lips in a hungry kiss as he slides into her depths, drawing a long groan from her as her legs tighten. Her hips push back against his after a beat, pushing them into an easy rhythm as their mouths continue to explore each other.

Sharon tears her mouth away from Andy's as he shifts the angle of his hips, causing her to bite her lip and arch her back with a deliciously soft moan escaping her throat. Andy grins and bites at the skin of her exposed neck and chest as his hips rock harder into hers. He scrapes his teeth over her breast and bites down on the soft flesh, leaving an imprint of his teeth as he draws a louder moan from Sharon.

"Oh god," Sharon cries out, her nails digging into Andy's back as her hips surge up against his. Andy grins and soothes the bite with a gentle kiss before making his way back to her lips.

"Just me," He murmurs as his lips trail over her jaw, his nose nuzzled behind her ear. Sharon's nails scrape gently down his back to his ass, using it as leverage to pull herself harder against him. Andy stills for a moment as he hears her phone ring down the hallway. Sharon whimpers and squeezes her muscles around him to pull his attention back.

"Don't stop," She whispers in his ear, his hips starting to move against hers with a reckless abandon as his own phone rings in his jeans pocket on the floor. Sharon's moans get louder as Andy moves with her, his hand slipping between them to massage her. He watches as she bites her lip and tips her head back, her breaths coming in quick pants. Andy presses his lips to her throat, his tongue tracing the strained tendons in time with the movement of his hips.

"I am so close," Sharon whimpers as their phones start ringing again. Andy shifts his stance and pulls her hips up to a different angle, watching as she immediately begins to unravel, crying his name out on a hoarse breath. He buries himself in her heat as his own release crashes down, groaning her name as his hand clenches on her hip. Sharon bites her lip and groans as he releases his hold on her, her hips sinking back down to the bed as he slips from her depths, her calves still resting on his thighs. Their quiet breaths are interrupted by another round of ringing.

"Oh for the love of God," Sharon growls, shifting to get up. Andy shoves her down and presses a kiss to her lips before getting out of bed.

"I got it," He digs out his own phone and begins the process of returning the call as he tugs on his underwear. Sharon sighs and lays in bed as she watches him talk to Provenza, arching her eyebrow as he hangs up the phone and tosses it onto the bed.

"Double homicide out in West Central. Team's on their way right now."

"Well, at least we finished most of date night," Sharon smiles, leaning up as Andy leans down, meeting him halfway for a kiss.

"Better than we've done other nights," Andy comments before pulling away and going to get dressed. Sharon sighs and slips out of bed, grabbing underwear from her dresser before disappearing into her closet.


	2. Chapter 2

Sharon smiles apologetically at her doctor, Anna, as she hangs up her phone, tossing it back into her purse.

"Sorry."

"No problem, I know you're busy," Anna smiles reassuringly, resuming her examination, "How has everything been going? You've lost a little bit of weight."

"Good for the most part," Sharon comments, "Andy had a heart attack a few months ago, we've been eating better, going to the gym...just trying to keep him healthy."

"That's not good," Anna sympathizes, "Everything okay with him?"

"Yeah. He didn't quite need a bypass, so they put in a few stents. Keep everything open. He's been doing great actually. It's like he's reverse aged a decade," Sharon smiles.

"Good. I have no doubt you'll keep him on the straight and narrow," Anna smiles as she finishes up her exam, "Seems like everything else is on the up and up. I am going to go grab a blood draw kit. We will take a couple samples so we can send out for a more complete panel, but we should be able to get back to you by this afternoon with some initial results."

"Sounds great," Sharon smiles. The doctor snaps off the examination gloves she had on and grabs some hand sanitizer on the way out the door. Sharon's eyes drift around the small examination room as she waits, regarding the anatomical posters with interest as her legs swing back and forth gently. She stills her movement when Anna comes back, quickly prepping her for the draw before taking a couple test tubes worth. Anna wraps the draw site and cleans up before handing Sharon a couple print outs.

"You are free to go. Like I said we should be able to get back to you by this afternoon, but if you don't hear from us today we will definitely call you in the morning."

"Thanks again," Sharon says, folding the printouts and setting them in her lap. She waits for Anna to leave before changing back into her own clothes, tucking the printouts in her purse on her way out of the office. Checking her watch as she heads for the car, she loads the address for their latest crime scene onto her phone and navigates her way out to the street to return to work.

* * *

Sharon walks the crime scene with Provenza as he catches her up before grabbing her own pair of gloves and tugging them on. She takes a look at a few things in the immediate vicinity of the body, before wandering through the high priced house for more context on their victim. Sharon jumps and swings around on her heel when she feels a hand on her shoulder, her hand automatically reaching for her gun. Andy holds his hands up with a wide eyed grin.

"Don't shoot."

"You scared the crap out of me!" Sharon reprimands, her eyes narrowing as she moves her hand away from her gun. Andy shrugs with a smile as he takes his gloves off.

"I was getting ready to go back, if you wanted a lift."

"I'm the one that drove here," Sharon grins, her stance relaxing slightly.

"You drove my car," Andy corrects with a roll of his eyes. Sharon shakes her head as she snaps her own gloves off, silently answering Andy as she follows him out front. She gives a few directions before telling them that she and Andy were going back with the body. Andy gently rests a hand on the small of her back as they walk back to his car.

"How did your appointment go?"

"Fine, just your usual physical. They took some blood, poked and prodded a bit," Sharon replays for him, stuffing her hands into her blazer pockets, "Everything seemed good though."

"Good," Andy comments, opening her car door for her. Sharon nods in silent agreement before getting in, handing Andy the keys. Their hands find each other over the center console during the drive back, a single personal touch in an atmosphere filled with work.

* * *

Sharon pulls her attention away from the interview in front of her as she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. She takes her phone out and glances at the number before standing up from her chair.

"Excuse me for a moment, I need to take this," Sharon tells Buzz before slipping out of electronics. She swipes her thumb across the screen to answer, holding the phone to her ear as she walks the hallways, taking a lap around the office as she talks. Sharon finds herself rounding the corner to the interview rooms again as she hangs up. Andy looks up as he hears the familiar click of her heels, while pulling the door shut.

"Hey," Andy says, surprised to find her in the hallway and not electronics. Sharon looks up, tucking her phone in her pocket, "Phone call?"

"Yeah," Sharon nods, resting a hand on her stomach as she lets out a long breath, trying to quell the butterflies within. Andy steps towards her, stuffing his hands into his pockets, with an arched eyebrow.

"Everything okay?" Andy inquires softly, a worried look taking over his face as he notices a distant one settle over Sharon's.

"I...," Sharon whispers, "I'm pregnant."

"What?" Andy's eyes widen as his eyebrows shoot up on his face, stepping closer to Sharon, "You're..."

"She said they ran the test three times," Sharon says, finally looking up at Andy.

"How is that even possible?" Andy whispers.

"I don't know," Sharon shakes her head, looking down at the floor. They both stand in silence for a moment, lost in thought before stepping back from each other when they hear a throat clear behind them. Sharon lifts her eyes for a moment to notice Provenza standing behind Andy, a file in his hands.

"Lieutenant."

"Captain," Provenza clips out. Andy clears his throat, giving his friend a pointed look. Provenza shakes his head and turns to walk down the hall the opposite direction, throwing a mumbled insult over his shoulder, "Idiots."

"We can talk later," Sharon whispers, stepping fully away from Andy before heading in the opposite direction towards her office, a haunted look on her face.

* * *

The couple had arrived home separately that evening, Andy managing to get there first before Sharon arrived with take out for dinner. It wasn't something they indulged in too much since his heart attack, but they had been tied up late at work and neither of them felt like cooking when they got home. They'd spent the rest of their evening on the couch, talking about Sharon's pregnancy as they ate. They'd broached a multitude of topics, most of them concerning whether or not it was a good idea to carry through with anything. Coming to the agreement that Sharon's health came first, they agreed that they would try and see where this new road would take them. They spent a few quiet moments gathered in each other's grasp before Sharon collected their plates to take to the kitchen and clean up as Andy declared he was going to shower. After packing away their left overs and quickly picking up the kitchen and living room, Sharon presses the button to run the dishwasher before turning off the lights in the kitchen. She heads down the hallway towards the bedroom, watching as Andy comes out of the ensuite in a towel as she shuts the door behind herself.

"You know, best thing about this place sometimes is that damn shower head. Really works out the kinks," Andy comments as he towels off before dressing in boxers and an undershirt. Sharon hums in agreement, noticing a small bouquet of flowers on her bedside table. She rounds the end of the bed and leans down to smell the fluffed out peonies and roses.

"Where did these come from?" Sharon asks, arching her eyebrow at Andy. Andy shrugs with a lopsided grin as he sits up on his side in bed.

"Must have been a fairy," Andy reasons through his grin before letting his face become more serious as he shrugs, "I figured you could use a little pick me up today."

A small smile finally spreads over Sharon's lips as she nods before moving to the dresser to grab her own pajamas. She changes into the purple night gown she had pulled out before sliding into bed next to Andy and pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

"Thank you for the flowers," Sharon murmurs gently against his lips. Andy smiles and kisses her back deeper, his hand tangling in her auburn locks and cradling her head in his palm. Sharon melts into his grasp, getting lost in the feeling of his lips and tongue. They indulge in a lengthy make out session before Sharon's hands dip into his boxers and soon her mouth engulfs him. Andy groans and drops fully back to the bed, propped up on their pillows as his hand tangles in her hair to lift it out of the way. He watches with rapt attention as she hungrily takes him in, getting lost in the feeling of her tongue and mouth moving over him. He grunts and tugs at her hair as he feels his release start to close in on him, letting out a longer groan as she flashes warm green eyes at him, continuing to suck him off. Her name falls off his lips paired with a harsh curse and a strangled groan as she deep throats his cock as he cums. Sharon pulls away slowly a moment later, swallowing as she flicks her hair over her shoulder.

"God you're fuckin' good at that," Andy rasps, pulling her to lay down next to him. Sharon grabs the comforter and pulls it up around them as she settles into his side, her head resting on his chest. Sharon takes off her glasses and puts them on her beside table next to the vase, fingering the petals for a wist filled moment. She flips her beside light off and sighs as she feels Andy's hand settle against her middle. Sharon covers his hand, her fingers stroking his wrist gently as she looks up at the ceiling.

"It's still early..."

"Early?"

"I'm only four...maybe five weeks along," Sharon comments, repeating what the doctor had told her earlier, pulling his hand away from her middle. She presses a kiss to his palm and holds his hand to her heart, "Lot of things can happen in the next few weeks. I just...don't want to get too attached yet."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Andy assures her, squeezing her hand gently. Sharon shrugs as she continues to hold onto his hand, not responding verbally, "Are you worried something's going to happen?"

"I'm no spring chicken, no matter what the doctor said," Sharon replies before taking a deep breath, her chest heaving up and down as she finds herself lost in thought remembering the pain of getting too attached too early previously.

"What's on your mind?" Andy asks, holding her closer as his hand moves from her chest to stroke down her side. He watches in the dark as her face contorts through multiple emotions before she snaps out of her reverie and looks over at him. A small, sad smile drifts across her lips as she covers the hand resting on her hip.

"I had..." Sharon sighs as she looks up and away from Andy, swallowing hard, "I lost two when I was with Jack. One was before we even had Emily. I was 10 weeks along and I'd just started at the academy, so it wasn't the greatest time to have a baby anyway. But it hurt. It's the one thing I'd been raised to believe was my job. Get married, settle down, have kids. I mean my parents wanted more for me...they always wanted more, but there was that implication of settling down...and some how I'd done it wrong. Some how I had messed up."

"You didn't mess up," Andy murmurs.

"I felt like I did for a long time. I threw myself into getting through the Academy, passing all my tests. Couple years later we had Emily. Everything went fine, textbook pregnancy and delivery. She was a perfect, happy baby," Sharon continues, "I started to forget, figured it was just a fluke, or a test or something. I didn't even think of it much when I got pregnant when Emily was 18 months old. I wasn't...I wasn't thrilled with the idea at first. I'd just made Detective and was assured that I was on the fast track to Sergeant, and I was going to be riding a desk in a few months and taking maternity leave again. But...the idea grew on me once the nausea went away."

"How long?" Andy asks as she trails off.

"Eighteen weeks."

"Jesus Christ," Andy swears quietly as he squeezes her hand tight.

"We'd been short staffed and so as long as I could still fit in my vest, my CO was okay with sending me out. I'd just barely started running after a suspect when the pain started. I made it about a block and a half before I was doubled over in pain, practically blacked out. They took me to the hospital but there wasn't anything they could do for me besides give me pain medication and wait," Sharon recounts quietly as she continues to hold onto Andy's hand, "Jack was out of town, so I had to send Gavin to go get Emily from daycare. He brought her to the hospital and sat with me all night, we didn't talk, we just sat.

"He was born at 3:27 in the morning, and he fit in the palm of my hand. It was early enough that there wasn't any paperwork to fill out or anything, but I still found myself trying to think of a name for him. Things started to fall apart after I told Jack that I had lost the baby. Emily was the only constant I had. I barely put her down for weeks afterward. I never wanted to let her go, she was so sweet and so perfect and so here. I was so numb when I was pregnant with Ricky, and Jack was so far gone from our relationship...I didn't realize what was happening until I was sitting in the hospital alone, introducing Emily to her brother."

"Did you ever think of a name?" Andy inquires softly after Sharon's quiet for a few moments.

"James," Sharon whispers, her voice thick.

"That's a good name," Andy offers. Sharon nods quietly, taking a deep, shuddering breath before letting it out slowly. Andy curls his arms around her and pulls her close, pressing a kiss to her temple as his hands rub up and down her back comfortingly, "No matter what happens, I'm going to be here for you. You don't have to go through any of this alone."

Sharon nods again in silence, burying her face in his shoulder and inhaling his comforting scent. She closes her eyes as she tries to forget, to move beyond the feelings fluttering around inside her. After a while she speaks softly.

"Andy?"

"Yeah?" Andy asks.

"I'm already attached," Sharon mumbles into his shoulder, squeezing her eyes closed tight as she clutches him closer. Andy rubs his hand up her back and holder her just as close as his lips press against her hair line.

"Me too, Shar...me too."

* * *

 **End Notes:** It is going to be one of those fics - I can't help it, it's like crack. I almost have to write this fic first before I can write anything else. It's sad really. But I hope you'll stay along for the ride. There is still definitely going to be smut, and Shandy, and even some appearances by Emily and Ricky down the line!


	3. Chapter 3

Andy comes out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, surprised to see Sharon still lying in bed.

"You not planning on going to work today?" Andy teases as he grabs his underwear out of the drawer along with an undershirt.

"You were in the bathroom, and the nausea is not going away this morning," Sharon groans as she heaves herself out of bed finally, her feet quickly carrying her into the bathroom. Andy pulls his underwear on before following her, pulling her hair back from her face as she throws up. He flushes the toilet once she starts to dry heave, wincing as her body continues to contort.

After a few more minutes Sharon drops her head against her arm with a sigh. Andy rubs his hand up her back before grabbing her a small glass of water. Sharon rinses her mouth out before taking a couple sips and handing the glass back.

"Thank you," Sharon whispers before she pushes herself back into a standing position. Andy stands up himself, rubbing his hand over her back gently.

"Alright?" Sharon nods and offers Andy a small smile before going to start the shower. Andy finishes getting dressed before heading down to the kitchen to make breakfast. Sharon comes out a while later, flipping her hair out from underneath her collar as she shrugs on her blazer with a sigh. She presses a soft kiss to Andy's cheek before making a cup of tea for herself, "Eggs?"

"I think I'll just stick with toast this morning," Sharon replies, taking one of the slices off of the small stack Andy had toasted up already. Andy finishes making his own egg white omelette before plating it and carrying it over to the table. Sharon takes a seat across from him, picking up the newspaper from the end of the table. She hands the sports section to Andy as she starts to read the front page herself.

"What time is your appointment this afternoon?" Andy asks as he flips the page.

"Three thirty," Sharon tells him, grabbing a second slice of toast as she folds the paper over, "I have a meeting at two and we'll have to leave right after to make it to the doctor's office on time."

"Okay," Andy looks at his watch after he finishes reading the scores, "You ready to go?"

"Mmm," Sharon hums before putting the paper down and getting ready to leave.

* * *

Andy taps his pen anxiously on the stack of files on his desk, glancing up at the clock on the wall for the fifth time in as many minutes. Provenza huffs and glares at his partner, annoyed at his anxious behavior.

"You know the world only spins so fast." Andy rolls his eyes and glares, turning back to the report he had been filling out.

"Sharon and I just have an appointment this afternoon, don't want to be late," Andy says as he writes.

"I don't think it's possible for her to be late for anything," Provenza tells Andy with a look. Andy shrugs and looks up at the clock again before shifting his gaze as he hears Sharon's heels moving down the hall. She smiles at him as she carries a stack of packets into her office, organizing them quickly before grabbing her bag and walking over to Andy's desk.

"Ready?"

"Please get him out of here," Provenza grumbles, "If I hear his pen click one more time..."

Andy clicks his pen at Provenza a few more times with a defiant look before dropping it on his desk and getting up. He puts a hand on Sharon's back guiding her out of the office. He presses the button when they reach the elevator bank, standing facing her as they wait.

"Nervous?"

"Terrified," Sharon tells him honestly before stepping into the elevator. They make their journey to her doctor's office in silence. Once they arrive Andy holds the door open for her waiting as she checks in before taking a seat next to her. His hand finds hers and he threads their fingers together squeezing supportively. Sharon smiles and squeezes back.

After a few minutes a nurse calls Sharon's name, causing her head to snap up. She stands up and continues to hold Andy's hand as they walk back into the exam area. Once she's weighed and her basic vitals are taken the nurse leaves them alone to wait for the doctor. Sharon takes the gown off the table and starts to change.

"Now that you know how much I weigh, you can never leave me," Sharon teases with a small smile before hopping onto the table. Andy laughs and presses a quick kiss to her lips.

"Trust me, I have no plans to leave anyway."

"Good," Sharon tells him as she looks up into his eyes. They step apart as the doctor knocks before coming in.

"Sharon, hi."

"Hi. Doctor Roberts, this is Andy Flynn. Andy, my doctor, Anna Roberts," Sharon introduces. Andy shakes the doctor's hand before taking a seat. Anna goes through Sharon's health history to see if there were any new updates to be made before getting a quick one from Andy as well. Once, they finish up the doctor stands to give her hands a quick wash before beginning her physical exam.

"What are you looking for?" Andy asks, curious, as he holds Sharon's hand.

"At this point, mostly just cervical abnormalities since we just did a physical a few weeks ago."

"What would those mean?"

"Miscarriage, preterm labor, easy infection," Anna rattles off, "Cervix is the gateway to the uterus. So everything needs to be on the up and up."

"Oh," Andy nods.

"But you'll be happy to know your cervix is just fine," Anna assures them as she snaps her gloves off, washing her hands once again.

"I'll be sure to put it on my resume," Sharon replies, dryly. Andy laughs and Anna smiles, shaking her head before continuing to poke and prod. She sits down on a stool as she pulls the ultrasound machine over.

"Everything looks really good, no drastic changes from a few weeks ago. But we're still going to take a look inside and see what's going on in there. Sound good?" Sharon nods as she rolls her gown up, exposing her abdomen. Anna shakes up the bottle of gel before poising it over Sharon's lower stomach, "This is going to be cold."

She squirts a generous line across her pale skin before putting the bottle back and grabbing the wand. She turns the machine on and starts to smooth the gel out as she moves the wand around, searching. Andy and Sharon watch in anticipation as the doctor takes a few minutes to look at the ultrasound on her own before relaxing slightly when the screen gets moved towards them.

"There they are." A wide grin spreads over Andy's face as Sharon looks at the doctor with concealed apprehension on her face still.

"Everything is okay?" Anna nods with a reassuring smile.

"Everything is measuring okay and on track. Based on everything that we've talked about today and your physical, I'm going to put your due date at December 8th. So you're about eight weeks along," Anna tells both of them, "Want to hear the heartbeat?"

Sharon nods enthusiastically, her face melting into a smile as she looks up at Andy. Anna clicks a few buttons on the machine before a rapid thumping starts to thrum through the room.

"Slower thump is your heart, faster one is the baby's. Heart rate is good," Anna gives them a few more minutes before hanging up the wand and turning the machine off. She hands Sharon a couple tissues before resting her hands in her lap.

"You're both doing good, I don't see anything that gives me concern. So, I'd like to see you again in a month," Anna explains, "But don't hesitate to call if anything comes up. You have my cell for after hours."

Sharon nods as she sits up after cleaning her stomach off. Andy rubs his hand along her back with a small smile.

"Anything else?" Andy asks. Anna shakes her head as she stands up, tucking her hands into her overcoat.

"Pictures are waiting for you at the front desk and I'll see you in a month," Anna tells them before shaking Andy's hand, "Andy, it was nice to meet you. Take good care of her."

"Always," Andy nods, smiling at Sharon.

* * *

Andy presses a kiss to Sharon's head as he gets out of bed to take a shower later that week, giving her a few more minutes to sleep. Sharon hums and turns her head towards his side of the bed, letting out a soft sigh. Andy makes his way into the bathroom and turns the water on before undressing and stepping in.

Towards the end of his shower, Andy sticks his head out from under the spray as he thinks he hears Sharon faintly call out for him. He listens for a moment before he hears Sharon's voice again, this time much louder and clearer - and full of pain.

"Andy!" Andy jumps out of the shower and quickly throws a towel around his waist before darting out into the bedroom. Sharon was practically curled in on herself, tears streaming down her face as she wraps her arms around her stomach.

"Sharon what is it?" Andy asks as he moves over to the bed, kneeling behind her and resting a hand on her shoulder, trying to roll her onto her back.

"It hurts, oh my god it hurts..."

"What hurts?"

"My stomach," Sharon whimpers before letting out a sob. Andy rubs his hand along her back as he picks up her phone.

"I'm going to call the doctor," Andy tells her reassuringly before grabbing her phone and searching for her doctor's phone number. He talks quietly for a few moments before hanging up and sitting on the bed behind Sharon. He rubs his hand up and down her back reassuringly as she rocks back and forth.

"The doc is gonna come over," Andy tells Sharon as he presses a kiss to her head, "It's gonna be okay."

"I'm so sorry," Sharon whispers before groaning at another wave of pain.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," Andy tells her as he swallows hard, pressing his lips to her shoulder. He sits with Sharon until he hears the doorbell, exchanging his towel for a pair of sweatpants before going to let the doctor in.

"How's she doing?"

"She's in a lot of pain. I haven't been able to get her to unclench," Andy says as he walks Anna to their bedroom. She makes her way over to Sharon, setting her bag on the foot of the bed. Andy stands at the end of the bed, watching with worry on his face as Anna talks to Sharon before starting to examine her.

"Andy, will you grab me a wastebasket?" Andy nods quietly, grabbing the empty trashcan from the bathroom before handing it over. Anna rolls Sharon onto her opposite side before pressing in on her stomach gently, forcing her to throw up. Sharon stretches out slightly more after throwing up a few times before Anna hands the bin back to Andy, "Any better?"

"Yeah, but it still hurts so bad," Sharon whimpers.

"Take a couple deep breaths for me okay?" Anna asks as she moves her hands along Sharon's abdomen. Sharon complies, letting out pained sounds as she does, rubbing her fingers over her eyes as Anna talks to her in a soothing voice, "Good, just relax. I think what we are dealing with is just some muscle issues. Your abdominal muscles are getting a workout from your morning sickness. I think they had an preemptive spasm, and locked up. You're probably also mildly dehydrated because of the vomiting, which never helps with muscle spasms."

"Muscle spasms?" Sharon whispers.

"Mm. Right around your stomach here, very tight and tense even after expulsion. It wouldn't surprise me if there was a small tear in there somewhere. But as we move lower, closer into the pelvic region the muscles are much looser, soft, and pliable," Anna explains, showing Sharon the differences before digging through her bag and getting out a portable ultrasound. She moves the small wand against Sharon's stomach, moving it around a few times before she finds what she's looking for. Sharon lets out a sob as she hears the thumping, burying her face in her hands, "There's that heart beat. Still sounds strong and fast. I'm going to give you a prescription for a small amount of muscle relaxants, as well as an anti-emetic so we can control the nausea. Andy will want to pick you up something with electrolytes in it to help get you rehydrated. You'll definitely want to take one of the relaxants today but keep the others on standby if this happens again. I'm not worried about anything else happening but I think it would be best if you stayed home today."

"She's okay? They're both okay?" Andy asks.

"They're both fine," Anna assures them as she packs her things up before writing Sharon two prescriptions, "I have a light day today, please call if you need anything else."

"Thank you so much for coming."

"Of course," Anna nods, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She squeezes Sharon's shoulder with a smile, "Feel better."

"Thank you," Sharon whispers. Andy shows Anna out before coming back to the bedroom. He sits down on the bed next to Sharon and covers her hand that was resting on her stomach.

"I'm gonna run down to the corner and get these filled and get you some stuff to drink. I'll call the office while I'm out and tell 'em we'll be staying home today okay?" Sharon nods quietly as her tears start up again. Andy squeezes her hand tight as his own eyes glisten with unshed tears. He presses his lips to hers in a hard kiss, before resting their foreheads together, "You scared the shit out of me today."


	4. Chapter 4

Sharon hums as she leans into Andy's touch, shuffling back further against him in bed.

"Morning," Andy murmurs as he presses a soft kiss to her neck.

"Morning," Sharon replies, turning over in his grasp to face him. She gives him a lazy smile as she runs her fingers through his hair, attempting to straighten the stray locks, "Have I told you how much I love waking up next to you?"

"You might have mentioned it once or twice," Andy smiles. He had been making more of an effort to stay in bed in the mornings instead of getting up before Sharon so he could get into the shower. The fear and pain he heard in her voice that morning had shaken him to the core. He never wanted her to wake up alone and afraid ever again. Sharon presses her lips against Andy's gently, resting her hand against his chest.

"Where'd you go just now?"

"Just thinking about the other week," Andy tells her, rubbing his hand up and down her side. Sharon smiles softly and kisses Andy once more, resting her head against his.

"We're okay," Sharon assures him, "We're okay."

"I know. I worry about you."

"Funny, I worry about you," Sharon murmurs with a wry grin on her lips.

"Quite the pair aren't we?"

"Mmhm," Sharon squeezes Andy's arm before pulling back, "You should get in the shower. You have court this morning."

"We could shower together, save some time, some water."

"That does sound tempting," Sharon hums before looking behind her at the alarm clock. She bites her lip before getting out of bed and padding towards the bathroom. She looks over her shoulder at Andy as she stands in the doorway, "Coming?"

Andy scrambles out of bed as he follows her.

"Not yet," He rasps.

* * *

Later in the morning, Sharon lazily drags a teabag through the mug of hot water on her desk as she reviews reports, occasionally making notes and signing off on things. She lets go of the string and grips the handle of the mug, bringing it to her lips, blowing gently before taking a sip. Her eyes flick up as she hears her door open, widening when she sees Rusty.

"Is it lunch time already?" Sharon asks as she sets the cup down before checking her watch.

"Unless we're in a new time zone," Rusty smiles, setting his bag on the couch.

"Sorry, I've been in meetings all morning. I've completely lost track of time," Sharon says, closing the file she had been reading, before standing and rounding the desk. She wraps Rusty in a big hug and presses a kiss to his cheek, "It's so good to see you. I feel like it's been days since I've seen you."

"It's only been a couple days," Rusty says as he pulls back. Sharon shrugs and smiles, grabbing her bag and hoisting it over her shoulder.

"I know, but I miss you when you're gone."

"I miss you too," Rusty says, following her out of her office, "I thought Andy was coming?"

"He was, but the case he's testifying in is running behind. So, it's just you and me," Sharon comments as she presses the down button on the elevator.

"Oh okay, I thought you said there was something we needed to talk about," Rusty asks as they get into the elevator, "Like family stuff."

"There is, but I can talk to you about it," Sharon assures him with a smile, "Nothing bad."

"Okay, good," Rusty smiles, relaxing slightly. The two ride quietly down to the main floor, wandering across the street to a diner. They claim a table in the back corner before Rusty orders a burger and fries for himself along with a chocolate milkshake. Sharon's stomach growls as she listens to him order before nodding and ordering the same thing.

"Oh, no pickles though," She asks, wrinkling her nose in semi disgust as Rusty regards her with wide eyes. The waitress nods and takes their menus before moving onto the next table.

"I have literally never heard the word milkshake come from your mouth unless it was to tell me not to get one," Rusty comments. Sharon rolls her eyes as she takes her glasses off, tucking them into her blouse.

"Contrary to your beliefs I do actually eat ice cream on occasion," Sharon tells Rusty as she takes a sip of her water, "I don't just survive on kale."

"I think you're lying," Rusty grins, drawing a chuckle from Sharon before he rests his arms on the table, playing with his straw wrapper, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"It's more...telling you something," Sharon demurs as she leans back in the booth, threading her fingers together in her lap.

"What? Is something wrong?" Rusty says immediately jumping to conclusions.

"I told you it's nothing bad," Sharon assures him, taking a deep breath before spilling the news, "I am pregnant."

"You're...what?" Rusty questions, not quite sure he heard correctly.

"Pregnant," Sharon repeats, tilting her head as she tries to read his face, but not being able to make heads or tails of his reaction. Rusty open and closes his mouth a few times before finally managing to utter words.

"That's…wow. That's just…wow. Like…how is that even possible? Wait, no don't answer that question. I don't want to know those details," Rusty babbles, "Like a baby, a real baby?"

"A real baby," Sharon replies, looking up as their waitress brings their food. She sets their plates down in front of them before the milkshakes.

"Anything else I can get you two?"

"No thank you," Sharon tells her with a smile. The waitress leaves their check on the edge of the table before going to attend to her other customers. Sharon grabs the bottle of ketchup and drizzles the condiment over her fries as she gives Rusty time to process.

After they spend a while eating in silence Sharon looks across the table at Rusty, setting her fork down. Rusty looks up from his own food, chewing a fry over as he looks at Sharon.

"Are you really eating your fries with a fork?"

"Maybe," Sharon comments, "You wanna let me in?"

"I mean this is…definitely a shock. I-I-I never even considered this was, like, a conversation that we would have," Rusty admits, "But, like, I assume this is something you and Andy want to do…right?"

"Yeah," Sharon nods, a wistful smile on her face.

"Then I'm happy for you," Rusty nods, picking up another french fry, "And Andy, even though this is mostly your thing right now."

"Thank you," Sharon says honestly, smiling at Rusty. She reaches over and squeezes his hand gently before taking her hand back.

"Um, when are you due?"

"My due date is December 8th."

"So like, how..."

"Far along am I?" Rusty nods and Sharon smiles, "A little over 12 weeks."

"Who knows about the…baby?" Rusty inquires, wondering if he was one of the first or last told.

"At the moment besides Andy and me - Chief Howard and you."

"Ricky and Emily don't know?"

"No," Sharon shakes her head, stirring her straw through her milkshake, "I wanted to tell you first, give you a little more time to process, it's a big change and you're around more than they are."

"Well thanks…I think. When are you? Going to tell them, I mean…Ricky and Emily."

"When they come to visit next weekend. Andy and I were going to take them out to dinner once they got in. You are welcome to come, of course, I just don't know how they're going to react. You know how…"

"They can be? Yeah," Rusty laughs, "I think I'll sit that dinner out, Gus and I are planning on going out of town next weekend anyway."

"All weekend? I was hoping we could have a family thing…you know, dinner or lunch or something. It's so rare that all of us are together," Sharon pouts slightly.

"What about on Sunday? We'll be back for an early dinner," Rusty offers.

"That would be great," Sharon smiles brightly. The two finish their lunch before heading back across the street to the station. Rusty picks up his backpack from Sharon's couch slinging it over his shoulder.

"I have to get to class, I'll see you later?" Sharon nods and wraps her arms around Rusty, hugging him tight. Rusty wraps his arms around Sharon and holds her close, "I love you, mom."

"I love you too," Sharon murmurs before pulling away, quickly swiping at a tear on her cheek.

"Oh god, what did I do? Did I say something? I didn't mean to…" Sharon shakes her head with a smile as she looks at the boy, amazed at his depth of concern.

"You didn't do anything, it's just hormones, I promise," Sharon assures him, nudging him out the door, "Go, don't be late for class."

"I'll text you later," Rusty assures her before heading for the elevator, waving a hello at the passing Major Crimes team.

* * *

Later in the afternoon after Andy finally returns to the office he knocks in the doorway, leaning his shoulder against the frame as he loosens his tie slightly. Sharon looks up and smiles at him, taking a sip of her tea.

"Hi, how did testifying go?"

"Nah, I've gotta go back in the morning, still didn't get to me after lunch and the judge called a recess until tomorrow about half an hour ago. How was lunch with Rusty?" "It went well…I think he'll warm up to the idea quickly. He and Gus are going to be out of town next weekend, but they're going to try to be home for a family dinner on Sunday, provided the other two don't storm off."

"You worry too much," Andy chastises.

"Emily I'm not that worried about, but you know how Ricky was when I was adopting Rusty," Sharon laments, leaning back in her chair as she looks at Andy, a worried look drawing across her face.

"Ricky was also being influenced by his father. This time, it is us, sharing our news, with no input from Jack."

"Yet," Sharon slips in, "I feel like I'll be garnering a visit from my ex-husband once the kids talk to him."

"You know he doesn't have to be let in. All you have to do is leave his name at the security desk out front," Andy reminds her for what seemed to him to be the millionth time.

"I know, I know," Sharon nods and sighs, "I just have a couple files to finish up and then we can head home?"

"Sounds good," Andy nods, straightening up. He winks at Sharon before leaving her doorway, pulling the door closed behind him as he returns to his desk. Sharon takes another drink of her tea before returning to the reports spread out across her desk.

* * *

[TBC...we'll finally get to meet Emily and Ricky for the first time in this fic]


	5. Chapter 5

Sharon bounces and claps her hands as she sees the kids come out into the waiting area from their gate. Emily had gone to spend a couple days in the Bay Area with her brother before they came down for the long weekend with their mother. Sharon immediately envelops Emily in a hug, holding her daughter close and rocking her back and forth.

"Oh my gosh I've missed you," She says as she squeezes the small ballerina only pulling away to cup her face in her hands, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "It has been too too long."

"Hi mom," Emily grins, her cheeks bunching up in her mother's grip. Sharon lets Emily go and wraps her arms around Ricky, slightly leaning up on her toes to get her arms around his neck.

"I swear you're still getting taller every time I see you," Sharon comments before settling back down on her heels, as she beams up at her son.

"Maybe you're getting shorter," Ricky quips with a grin. Sharon rolls her eyes as Andy wraps his arm around her waist, greeting the kids as well.

"It's good to see that you're still on your feet," Ricky comments as he shakes Andy's hand. Emily gives him a quick hug and presses a kiss to his cheek.

"I felt horrible when Mom called and told us about the heart attack."

"Everything's in tip top shape now," Andy assures them, "Captain keeps me on track."

"Damn right," Sharon comments, with a small smile, "I was thinking we could head straight out to dinner unless you two needed to stop at the house and freshen up?"

"I'm fine with dinner now. Rick?" Emily asks as she shoulders her bag.

"Sure, sounds great," Ricky agrees. Sharon nudges the kids towards the exit, wrapping an arm around her daughter as they walk.

"How have you been? How's Patrick? It's been forever since we've even talked."

"I'm good, Patrick's good, we're just busy. We're getting ready to start rehearsals again, have a couple traveling shows we're doing. Buuuuut, I do know that I'll be home for Christmas this year and I might even bring Patrick with me," Emily tells Sharon with a smile.

"That's great!" Sharon exclaims, squeezing Emily gently.

"What about you?" Emily asks, "You look great, you're practically glowing."

"Just enjoying life," Sharon smiles, "Work hasn't been too difficult lately, Andy and I have been getting settled into the house, Rusty is enjoying college and Gus…Things are just…good."

"Good, you deserve good," Emily comments as they reach the car. Andy puts their bags in the trunk as everyone piles into the car.

"Where are we going for dinner?" Andy asks, looking back at the kids as he starts the car. Emily shrugs as she looks at her brother.

"I don't know what do you want?" Ricky shrugs in reply, rocking his head back and forth in thought.

"Sushi?" Ricky suggests.

"I could do sushi. Mom, Andy?" Emily prompts, looking back to the front seat. Andy shrugs before he looks at Sharon, deciding to let her answer.

"Sure, we can do sushi. There's a great new place that's downtown, right across the street from work. I think you two will enjoy it."

"Okay, let's do that then," Ricky nods in agreement.

After struggling through airport and general LA traffic they made it downtown. Sharon nudges Andy towards the station's parking ramp.

"Just park in there, we can walk."

"Yes, ma'am." Sharon smacks Andy on the shoulder with a grin as he pulls into the ramp, finding a space quickly before hanging their permit tag. Sharon and Andy follow the kids out of the garage, lingering a couple paces behind the duo as Sharon leans into Andy's side while they walk.

"You sure you're gonna be okay eating here?"

"They've got other stuff. I'll be fine," Sharon assures as they manage to skate through the crosswalk before the light turned green. Ricky holds the door open for everyone as they pile into the small restaurant, letting his mom ask for a table for them. They get seated relatively quickly, Ricky taking a seat across from Andy as Emily sits across from Sharon. Emily orders a sake to split with her brother asking if Sharon would want any, arching her eyebrow imperceptibly as her mother insists she's fine with water before starting to look at the menu. After they order their dinner Emily looks at Ricky before looking back at her mother and Andy.

"Spill it."

"Spill what?" Sharon asks with a cool arched eyebrow, setting her water glass back down.

"Something is up with you two, and you better come out with it," Emily probes with an interested grin, resting her chin on folded hands, "Oh my god are you getting married?"

"Emily!" Ricky chides halfheartedly with his own grin. Andy realized as he watched the two of them that it was Sharon's grin he was seeing flit across their faces. He looks over as Sharon squeezes his hand, offering a supportive smile as he squeezes back himself.

"Come on, you have to tell us," Emily says as she watches the two exchange a silent look. Sharon strokes her thumb over Andy's hand a couple times before looking at her children.

"Well, I thought we would at least make it to dessert, but...I'm pregnant," Sharon tells the kids. Emily's eyes widen before she casts a sharp look at her brother as he chokes on his sake. Ricky winces and pounds himself on the chest, eventually trailing off as he takes a sip of his water.

"Sorry," He wheezes, letting out one more cough, "You're..."

"You and Andy are having a baby," Emily takes over, "Like, you're going to have a baby."

"Yes, I'm due at the beginning of December."

"But like, what about your age?" Ricky asks, before immediately starting to backpedal, "I mean not that you're old or anything, you're just older than when you had us. Doesn't that like cause issues or something?"

Emily sighs and buries her face in her hands, groaning as she listens to Ricky try to save face.

"Oh my god, you did not just call mom old!" Emily reprimands her brother.

"I just said that that's not what I meant."

"No wonder you made her cry when she was adopting Rusty," Emily glares, "God you are so dense sometimes."

"I am not, I..."

"Knock it off," Sharon snaps at the kids in a quiet voice, narrowing her eyes at them. Ricky grumbles as he sinks back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. Emily sighs and flicks her hair over her shoulder, crossing her arms on the table, "God sometimes it's like you two never stopped being toddlers."

"I'm just concerned about your health, that's all," Ricky says.

"I appreciate the concern. We wouldn't be doing this if it was going to be a danger to my health," Sharon assures both of the kids. Andy nods in agreement before finally speaking up.

"The doctor said there's no reason to expect anything less than a textbook pregnancy, but nothing comes before your mother's health, ever."

"This is great, really," Emily assures her mother and Andy before nudging her brother with a grin, "Besides it should keep her off our back for grandkids for a couple years, right?"

Ricky rolls his eyes and laughs, picking up his drink and leaning forward. He shifts the cup higher into the middle of the table. "I think this is an occasion that calls for a toast. To Mom and Andy and our soon to be little brother or sister."

"New family," Emily agrees as she raises her own glass.

"New family," Andy and Sharon echo, lifting their own glasses.

* * *

"I'm going to head up to bed, I'm beat," Ricky says as he stands from the kitchen table.

"Oh don't be a sore loser, Ricky," Emily chides her brother with a grin as she starts to pull the tiles off the Scrabble board on the table, "Just because you're the least eloquent one in the family..."

"I am not!" Ricky replies indignantly, tugging on Emily's ponytail.

"Ow!"

"Sissy," Ricky grins before letting her hair go. Sharon rolls her eyes and stands up, wrapping her arms around her son in a tight hug.

"Don't tease your sister," Sharon reprimands before letting him go, "There are towels in the bathroom, yell if you need anything."

"Thanks. Night mom, Andy," Ricky nods towards the other man before tugging his sister's ponytail once more and heading up the stairs. Sharon sits back down in her chair, taking a sip of her tea as Andy and Emily clear the board before Andy puts the game back into the box.

"I'm going to go put this away, and see if I can catch the end of the game," Andy says as he stands and picks up the box, "You girls think you can survive without me?"

"Oh I think we'll manage," Sharon smiles up at her boyfriend. Andy leans down and presses a kiss to her lips before wishing Emily a good night and disappearing down the hall towards their bedroom. Emily smiles at her mother as she takes a drink of her own tea.

"I like Andy," Emily declares. Sharon laughs and smiles at her daughter with a bemused grin.

"I suppose that's good."

"I mean...I know you like him, I know he treats you well, I know he's definitely not Dad, but I haven't had the chance to spend too much time around him the last few years," Emily shrugs, "But the way he looks at you... _and_ he can spell."

"You know that's what I look for in potential partners, the ability to spell," Sharon smiles before standing. She takes Emily's cup along with her own and rinses them out before putting them in the dishwasher. She turns the machine on before offering a hand to her daughter, "Come on."

Emily takes her mother's hand and stands up before following her to the guest room that Emily was staying in. The younger woman climbs into the bed and slips under the covers but sits up against the headboard. Sharon climbs in next to her daughter, sitting against the headboard herself. Emily settles into her mother's side and sighs happily.

"I've missed this."

"Me too," Sharon agrees, resting her cheek agains the top of her daughter's head as her nails gently scratch up and down her back. The two sit in silence for a while before Emily puts her hand on her mother's stomach.

"You know I think my opinion has changed since you were having Ricky," Emily tells Sharon. The older woman laughs and covers her daughter's hand.

"That's good."

"What do you think you're having?" Emily asks as her thumb strokes back and forth. Sharon shrugs as she shakes her head.

"Healthy is all I'm asking for, I'd feel terrible to tempt fate with anything else," She replies, thinking back to the incident a few weeks before.

"Don't they do tests and stuff before the baby is born?" Emily asks, genuinely curious. Sharon nods, humming in her throat.

"Yeah, we went last week, supposed to get the final results back in the next couple weeks. Initial results looked promising, no distinct abnormalities, but they still need to do more precise genetic testing."

"That's good right?"

"It is," Sharon assures, "We're just not completely out of the woods yet."

"They'll be healthy," Emily declares looking up at her mom, "They have to be. Or I'll disown them."

"I'll make sure to pass the message on," Sharon says with a smile. Emily smiles back before nestling her head back against her mother's shoulder, "I'm glad you're happy about this. I was worried."

"Of course I'm happy. You're happy, Andy's happy. It's a surprise, but so was Ricky and he turned out okay," Emily teases. Sharon laughs and presses her lips to her daughter's head as she squeezes her tight.

"Oh I've missed you my sweet baby girl."

* * *

Sharon groans as she kicks her heels across the bedroom floor in the general direction of her closet while simultaneously tugging the zipper on her dress down, letting it pool on the floor at her feet. They'd gotten all of the kids together for a family dinner earlier in the evening before taking Emily and Ricky to the airport. While it had been great having their whole family under one roof, they did have a tendency to be exhausting after a few hours. She sighs gently as she feels Andy's arms slip around her waist, his hands coming to rest on her stomach.

"You alright?" Andy inquires, kissing her shoulder gently. Sharon nods as she unclasps her bra from the front, letting out a sigh of relief as the fabric parts.

"Just never found twenty somethings so exhausting," Sharon comments as she pulls open her dresser drawer, grabbing a loose tank top to sleep in.

"Sleep in tomorrow," Andy offers, his fingers taking on a more teasing touch, "We have the day off."

"Mmm, we do," Sharon hums as she arches into Andy's hands as his fingers slip under the cups of her loose bra before his palms cup her breasts. Her backside presses against his front firmly as she looks up at him through hooded eyes, "Is that an offer?"

"Oh yes," Andy affirms as he captures her lips in a hungry kiss. Keeping one hand on the dresser for support Sharon stakes her other one into his hair, holding him close as she kisses him back, continuing to tease his arousal with her hips. Andy's hands move down her front and tug playfully at her underwear before pushing the violet fabric down towards the floor. He rocks his denim clad erection into her backside in a teasing motion before his fingers undo his fly, his jeans pooling on the floor.

Sharon breaks their kiss with a groan as she grabs the edge of the dresser with both hands before pressing her hips back against his again. Andy's hand slips between her legs and his fingers massage over her wet center, dipping into her core to tease before he pulls his hand away. Sharon's stance widens as she feels his hand between them, moaning as she feels his cock spring free and easily slip between her thighs. Andy thrusts his hips and glides his head along her entrance.

"Andy," Sharon whimpers and closes her eyes, her knuckles turning white as her grip tightens. Andy's fingers ghost over her hands as he braces his own next to hers, burying himself in her depths. Sharon bites her lip and moans as she pushes back against him, both of them setting a quick and fast rhythm. Andy presses his lips to her shoulder and bites playfully as he moves his hips against hers. He trails his lips up her neck and to her ear, tugging at the lobe playfully before trailing the tip of his tongue around the shell of her ear.

"I want to see you," He whispers quietly into her ear as his hand slips away from hers and trails down her body to her clit. His rough fingertips massage her gently as her eyes snap open, staring at their reflection in the mirror in front of them. Andy moves his lips back to her shoulder, staring her down with his dark brown eyes as his fingers curl against her.

"Oh god," Sharon moans, dropping her head forward as she bucks hard back against him, amazed to find her control already snapping. Her hips move roughly against him, taking him in deeply as she reaches for release. Her hand springs free of the dresser, reaching back to pull him tight against her as she feels her core tighten before exploding in a torrent of liquid desire. Andy grunts as his toes curl into the wood flooring, losing his own release as he buries himself into her.

Andy wraps his arm around her waist after pulling his hand away from her center, supporting her as he feels her knees giving way. He kicks his pants to the side before guiding her back to the bed. The collapse in an unceremonious heap and Sharon lets out a breathy chuckle as she holds onto him.

"Don't think we've done that one before."

* * *

[TBC]


	6. Chapter 6

Sharon growls as light floods the quiet, dark bedroom, glaring at Andy through squinted eyes.

"Louie just called. We gotta go," Andy explains as he climbs out of bed. Sharon grumbles as she drops her head back to her pillow for a moment, seriously suppressing the need to throw a tantrum. After a beat she sighs and gets out of bed, going to get dressed.

Sharon grabs a violet blouse off of a hanger and pulls it over her head before sorting through her bottoms and pulling a skirt out. After two attempts at pants and skirts Sharon throws the clothes on the floor in frustration before shedding the top she had on and impatiently grabbing a black wrap dress off of a hangar. She quickly wraps it around her form and deftly ties the band in the front before her hand drifts over her stomach, her head tilting slightly as she feels a smooth curve that most definitely hadn't been there the day before when she had gotten dressed.

After letting a small smile flit across her lips she grabs a matching blazer and shoes, tugging the shoes on as she makes her way down the hall. Before she reaches the door she holds a finger up to Andy, who was waiting, and doubles back to the bedroom, grabbing her bag, gun, and badge off the dresser quickly walking down the hallway and out the front door Andy was holding open.

"Got everything?" Andy asks as he pulls the door shut behind himself, locking it. Sharon throws a narrow eyed look at him as she tosses her bag in the back seat before getting in the drivers side, "Good…good start to the night."

The drive to the crime scene was tensed with silence, as they speed through the streets of LA. Once they get to the scene Andy gets out and heads passed the tape. Sharon sighs as she gets out putting on her gun and badge before heading towards the scene, thanking the patrol officer that lifts the tape for her.

"Nice of you two to finally join us," Provenza comments as he walks over. Andy gives his friend a look and shakes his head furiously as he stands behind Sharon, giving him a cut it out hand motion. Sharon narrows her eyes at the white haired lieutenant as she pulls on a pair of gloves.

"Instead of worrying how long it takes me to get here from a dead sleep in the middle of the night, why don't you bring me up to speed on our case? Unless you're telling me you dragged me out of bed for no reason, at which point the probability of my foot becoming lodged in your ass will increase exponentially," Sharon practically growls back as she lets the glove snap against her skin.

"Of course, Captain," Provenza nods before starting to walk Sharon through the scene.

* * *

Sharon scans the restaurant before spotting Andrea and Gavin at a booth in the corner. She makes her way over and drops her purse into the empty side of the booth as Gavin waves his hand at her.

"Honey, what on earth is going on here? I haven't seen your natural curl since 1987," He comments as Andrea hides a chuckle in her drink.

"This," Sharon comments as she smoothes her dress out over her stomach, revealing the swell that had caused her to choose the casual dress the night before.

"Shut the fuck up!" Andrea says as she sets her drink down with a thud. Sharon sinks into the booth across from Andrea and Gavin with a groan burying her face in her hands. She sits for a moment before leaning back and dropping her hands in her lap.

"How...is that even possible?" Gavin stutters. Sharon shrugs and takes a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair.

"It was a surprise...a huge surprise," Sharon says as she looks up when the waitress comes over. She orders a soda for herself before starting to look at the menu. The three of them order when the waitress comes back with Sharon's drink before leaving them alone.

"How far along are you?" Gavin asks.

"Almost sixteen weeks," Sharon tells them, "I've been in a complete hormonal rage all day. I couldn't find anything to wear that would fit after we got our call out, I snapped at Andy on the way out to the car, I practically tore Provenza apart at the crime scene, and I just...oh my god I am just so done with today."

"That explains ordering the baked potato soup," Andrea comments, looking over at Gavin before looking at Sharon, "But congratulations! That's exciting."

"I'm too old to be this hormonal again, I've enjoyed decades of hormonal solidity and it's all down the drain because it should have been a reasonable thought that at the age of fifty any existing eggs in my ovaries were complete dust!" Sharon complains, her hands flailing. She notices the wide eyed looks of her friends and sighs as she drops her hands back to her lap, rubbing her hand over her belly, "Sorry. Thank you, we're excited. It's been a long day."

"When are you due?" Andrea inquires.

"Early December. We're supposed to finally tell the team once we wrap the case up," Sharon replies, a small smile finally spreading across her lips, already starting to feel better.

* * *

Sharon hikes her bag over her shoulder as her heels clack across the floor of the PAB. She presses the button to make her way back up to Major Crimes, watching the numbers count down before a familiar scent starts to invade her air. She turns and smiles when she sees Andy standing behind her, freshly showered with his gym bag hoisted over his shoulder.

"Hi," Andy smiles.

"Hi," Sharon smiles back, stepping into the elevator with him once it dings and empties. Andy presses the button for their floor, watching as the doors close. He looks down at Sharon and shifts his hold on his bag.

"How was your lunch?"

"It was good. I think I needed to get out of here for a little bit and clear my head," Sharon smiles, "Did you go down to the gym?"

"Yeah. Hoped it would pick me up a little bit." Sharon nods, standing in silence for a moment before looking back up at Andy.

"I want to apologize for earlier this morning...I've been in a mood all day and I was maybe a little short."

"Already forgiven," Andy smiles, resting a hand on her hip, "Besides, I can't be mad when you bring this dress out."

Sharon rolls her eyes and sighs with a smile as she leans into his grip.

"Wanna tell me what set everything off this morning?" Andy asks with a quiet voice.

"You woke me up at three in the morning," Sharon murmurs with a smile. Andy rolls his eyes and shakes his head. She takes Andy's hand away from her hip and runs his palm down her front, "Someone decided to make an appearance finally. I couldn't find a single thing that fit."

"A single thing, in that whole closet of yours?" Sharon fixes him with a narrow eyed look before they pull apart as the elevator opens on their floor, "Am I back in the doghouse?"

"Maybe," Sharon muses before stepping out of the elevator.

* * *

Sharon takes a deep breath as she starts to clear photos off the murder board, rubber banding everything together before grabbing the eraser to wipe it down. She looks over mid swipe as Andy comes back into the room with Tao, both holding cups of coffee, ready to power through their paperwork for the case. He winks at her as he takes a drink out of his cup, walking over to set it down on his desk before joining her at the board, cleaning off some of the taller swipes she couldn't reach.

"Thanks," She smiles as she looks up at him, "You ready?"

"If you are," Andy smiles back, resting a hand on her back. Sharon turns slightly to face the rest of her team, everyone at their desks quietly scribbling and typing away. She clears her throat to get their attention, suppressing a grin as Provenza only lifts his head incrementally, not turning in his chair to look at her.

"I want to thank everyone for how quickly and efficiently you handled this case. It'll be good to make it home for dinner tonight," Sharon smiles.

"Here, here," Provenza agrees, raising his pen in the air.

"There's also something that Andy and I wanted to share with you."

"Oh god," Provenza grumbles. Andy kicks his friend's chair and glares at him before holding his hand out for Sharon to continue.

"We are pregnant," Sharon says, an apprehensive smile on her face.

"Congratulations!" Amy says, hopping up from her desk and hugging Sharon before offering a hand out to Andy. The rest of the team follows Amy's lead, offering congratulations, hugs, and handshakes to the couple.

"How far along are you?" Amy inquires.

"Sixteen weeks," Sharon answers, her arm draping gently across her midsection, "We're due at the beginning of December."

"That's a great way to get the holidays off," Julio quips. Sharon laughs and nods in agreement.

"I suppose so."

* * *

Sharon follows Andy into the house when they get home later that evening, groaning as she smells food already cooking. She kicks her shoes off and drops her bag by the door before heading into the kitchen and embracing Rusty after greeting Gus, who was standing at the stove.

"Hey mom," Rusty smiles, wrapping his arms back around her.

"What prompted this? Not that I'm complaining..."

"I was talking to Andy earlier, he said you guys had a long couple days so I thought we'd take care of dinner. We even brought movies."

"That's so sweet," Sharon smiles, pressing a kiss to Rusty's cheek, "Thank you. And thank you as well Gus."

"It's no problem," Gus smiles, putting a pan into the oven.

"I am going to go change, real quick."

"Oh there was a box at the door when I got here, it had your name on it. I just put it on the bed."

"Thanks," Sharon calls out as she heads down the hallway, leaving the boys in the kitchen. She frowns as she looks at the box Rusty had placed on the foot of the bed. It wasn't marked with any delivery information, just a sticky note with her name on it. It wasn't that big, but big enough. She grabs the pocket knife she had in her bedside table, cutting the tape on the box before opening it up. The inside was filled with a few items of clothing, that much was obvious.

Sharon grabs the envelope on top and flicks it open before pulling out the card inside.

 _Sharon -_

 _Dad mentioned some wardrobe issues, so I stopped out over lunch today and picked up a couple things. I ran most of them by Emily, but let me know if anything doesn't work or fit and I can happily take them back._

 _Love, Nicole_

Sharon's nose wrinkles as her eyes tear up, setting the note to the side and starting to go through the box. She pulls out a few skirts and pairs of pants in different sizes along with a dress and a couple tops. Andy knocks gently on the doorway to alert her to his presence.

"Everything look okay?"

"It all looks great," Sharon sniffles, "Thank you for arranging all of this."

"Shar don't cry," Andy says, walking over and wrapping his arms around her from behind, holding her close.

"It's not..." Sharon sighs as she runs her finger under her eye, brushing away her tears, "I'm not upset. It's just hormones. These last couple days have just been...one gigantic, fucking, hormonal clusterfuck. I feel like a complete wreck emotionally."

"You're not a complete wreck, you're..."

"Pregnant, I know. It's just a hump I'm getting over. You just forget about all this crap though, you know? The irrational tears, anger..." Sharon sighs as she leans into Andy's grasp. Andy presses a kiss to her temple and massages her belly gently, "And then you have Rusty and Gus come over for dinner, and Nicole goes out and gets me clothes. And I feel like I've blown everything out of proportion."

"I'll make you a deal, until Junior gets here, you can blow whatever you want out of proportion. Cause I'm always gonna be here to take care of you afterward."

"You're too sweet," Sharon murmurs turning her head to capture Andy's lips. Andy smiles and squeezes her gently.

"Mom! Andy! Dinner's almost done!" Sharon pulls away from Andy's grasp with one last kiss before grabbing a pair of leggings and one of the sweaters Nicole had gotten her and changing. She quickly puts the other items of clothing away before following Andy back out to the kitchen where Rusty was setting the table and Gus was making them plates.

"Thank you two again, this looks and smells amazing," Sharon comments, kissing both of the boys on the cheek before taking a seat at the table, tucking a leg under her body.

* * *

[TBC]


	7. Chapter 7

**I want to thank everyone for the reviews they have been posting - they definitely keep me going!**

* * *

"Call me if you need anything," Andy says as he walks Sharon to her car.

"Andy, I'll be fine," Sharon assures him with a smile, "It's just a day off."

"I know," Andy says as he presses a soft kiss to her lips, rubbing his hand over her belly before pulling away, "Have a good day."

"You too, call me if we catch anything."

"Yes, ma'am," Andy smiles, holding her door open for her before shutting it once she gets in. He waits for her to pull out before heading to his own car. Sharon turns her car in the opposite direction of home, heading towards church. She pulls into the small parking lot a few minutes later and gets out, locking her car. She makes her way inside, glad to see there weren't too many people milling around.

Sharon makes her way over to the prayer candles and takes a match out before lighting a candle. She puts a folded up bill in the donation box before making her way to the front of the church. She crosses herself before kneeling in one of the front pews and pulling her rosary out of her purse. She runs her fingers over the jade beads thinking back to when her mother had given them to her for her first communion before threading her fingers together and closing her eyes.

Sharon sits quietly for a while before looking up as she hears a throat clear quietly in front of her. She takes a deep breath before crossing herself once more and standing up, smiling at Father Simon as he stands in front of her.

"Father."

"Sharon, it's been a while..."

"I've been to Wednesday mass the last few weeks," Sharon comments as she slips the beads back into her purse. Her hands self consciously drift over her midsection, smoothing her shirt over her stomach.

"How's Andy?"

"Good," Sharon smiles, "Still bouncing back."

"Congratulations are in order?" Father Simon inquires, a small smile playing on his own lips as he raises his eyebrows. Sharon blushes and nods, her hand resting protectively over her middle. Sometimes being in church made her feel like she was sixteen years old again, waiting to be accosted at any turn, "How long?"

"Eighteen weeks, yesterday," Sharon answers quietly.

"Walk with me? I have some papers for you in my office. I was going to call you this afternoon, but since you're already here..." Father Simon offers his arm to the redhead. Sharon nods and takes his arm, walking quietly through the church with him towards his office. As they walk through the small courtyard Father Simon breaks the silence between them, "Are you thinking about James?"

Sharon is quiet for a moment before she speaks.

"I sometimes forget that I've been talking to you for as long as I have. But I'm always reminded by the things you remember," She tells him with a small smile before her look becomes more reverent as she nods, "Yes, I am."

"He's lucky to have you," Father Simon offers.

"I'm lucky to have him," Sharon replies before following the priest into his office. Father Simon digs through a few things on his desk before holding out a large manilla envelope to Sharon.

"Your annulment documentation," He offers at her questioning look. Sharon opens the envelope and shakes out the papers inside, quickly scanning them before closing the envelope up.

"They approved it?" Sharon asks, holding the file to her chest.

"They did," Father Simon nods with a smile, "I don't think it was a difficult decision, you presented a good case. It just takes a long time to process these things."

"Thank you for all of your help," Sharon says as she smiles back, "For so long I never wanted to put this behind me and now..."

"People change, they grow, even after 20 plus years," Father Simon smiles reassuringly, "Let me walk you out, unless you'd like to talk more?"

"Normally I'd take you up on the offer, but I'm not feeling particularly chatty today," Sharon says as she follows Father Simon out of his office and towards the exit.

"I don't blame you. Some days are meant to be quiet days," Father Simon smiles, continuing the rest of their journey in silence. Sharon thanks him once again before making her way out to her car. She sits for a moment as she holds the manilla envelope in her hands, silently regarding it before slipping it into her bag.

* * *

Sharon smiles as she watches Emily yawn for the third time.

"I think it's time for the little ballerina to go to bed," Sharon comments, resting her own head on her hand propped up by the back of the couch.

"It's been so long since we've talked like this though," Emily whines, her face already half buried in her pillow.

"You'll be here in a couple weeks, and you'll have me all to yourself," Sharon reminds her in a gentle voice, "Besides you'll only be proving your trainer right if you show up cranky tomorrow morning."

"I know," Emily grumbles before changing her tone, "I miss living in LA. Being closer to you..."

"I would not be devastated if you decided to move home," Sharon smiles, "Well not necessarily home, but back to LA."

"What Mom, can't handle me, Andy, and the baby under one roof?" Emily teases tiredly.

"Some days I wonder how I deal with Andy," Sharon responds with a mirthful tone to her voice. She looks up as she hears the key in the door, "Speak of the devil."

"I guess I'll let you go."

"Get some sleep. I'll talk to you soon," Sharon tells Emily, "I love you."

"I love you too. Tell Andy I said hi."

"I will," Sharon blows her daughter a kiss before hanging up their Skype call and closing the computer as Andy lumbers into the living room. He leans down and presses a kiss to her lips before rounding the couch and sinking down at the opposite end, pulling her feet into his lap.

"Emily says hi," Sharon tells him as she wiggles her toes at him. Andy smiles and captures one foot in his hand starting to massage it.

"How's she doing?" Andy inquires as he digs his thumb into her arch.

"Good, she had an open evening so we spent a couple hours talking," Sharon tells him, neglecting to mention she had called Ricky much earlier in the day and had been shuffled off to his voicemail. She hums quietly as Andy's hands move over her feet, shuffling further down on the couch. She closes her eyes as she buries her head into the throw pillow she was laying on, "How was your day?"

"Boring paperwork. You?" Sharon shrugs quietly as her hand drifts over her stomach, stroking back and forth at a leisurely pace. Andy runs his hand up her calf, squeezing gently, "Sounds like you definitely needed the day off. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just needed a quiet day," Sharon assures him. Andy continues to massage her feet, letting his own head drop back against the couch cushions as his eyes slip closed. After a while he hears her stomach growl almost immediately after his. He lets go of her feet before standing up from the couch, yawning as he stretches out a bit.

"Why don't I take care of dinner, hmm?" Sharon stretches out further on the couch and opens her eyes, smiling at Andy.

"I think that sounds great. There's some fish in the fridge that I picked up today."

"I can do that," Andy smiles, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips before heading into the kitchen. He notices the manilla envelope on the island as he gets stuff out of the fridge to start making dinner. He picks it up and flips it around a few times before setting it back down, "What's in the envelope?!"

"What?" Sharon calls back as she heaves herself off the couch, padding into the kitchen.

"The envelope?" Andy asks as she comes into the room, pointing the knife in his hand at it. Sharon grabs it off of the pile of mail and flips it around in her hands a few times before wrapping her arms around it and pressing it to her chest much like she had earlier in the day.

"My annulment papers," Sharon tells Andy, "I stopped by church on my way home. Father Simon had just gotten them in."

Andy stops chopping vegetables and sets the knife down, walking over to Sharon.

"When did you apply for that?"

"After your heart attack," Sharon replies before handing the file over to Andy, "I didn't know if it would be approved. I figured there wasn't any use in worrying about it until we knew what we were working with."

"What are we working with?" Andy asks as he opens the envelope and looks at the paper inside. Sharon climbs onto one of the stools sitting on the side of the island, resting her hands in her lap as she watches him.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to marry you, Andy. I just didn't know if I could," Sharon attempts to explain. Andy reads through the couple sheets of paper inside before repacking the envelope and setting it back on the pile of mail. He stands in between Sharon's legs and rests his hands on her hips. Sharon lifts her head to look up at him, her own hands running up his chest before resting on his biceps, "You're not mad are you? That I did this without you?"

"No, of course not," Andy assures her with a smile.

"Well you're being unusually quiet."

"I'm trying to think of what jewelers are still open at this time of night," Andy replies, his smile morphing into a wide toothed grin. Sharon rolls her eyes and squeezes his arms as she looks up at him.

"You're not dragging me out to get married right now. You're making me dinner," Sharon reminds him with a small smile.

"Right," Andy smiles before pressing his lips to Sharon's, "I love you. I'm glad I'll be able to marry you."

"I love you too," Sharon murmurs, kissing him gently once more, "So much."

* * *

[TBC]


	8. Chapter 8

Note on the last chapter: I didn't mention it, but I will clarify around the topic of Andy needing/getting an annulment, that I think Andy and his ex-wife didn't get married in the church, which (from the research I've done into the topic) wouldn't necessarily require an annulment.

Note on this chapter: It's a long one! Please enjoy!

* * *

Andy sits up on his arm as he watches Sharon sleep. He trails a fingertip down her arm, smiling as she makes a small sound and sprawls out on her back, her stomach causing her nightgown to ride up slightly. Sharon hadn't necessarily been a light sleeper before, but since she'd been pregnant she'd slept like a rock - practically unwakeable, dead to the world. He presses a test kiss to her shoulder, keeping an eye on her face as he moves his lips down her arm.

Andy shuffles down the bed as his mouth moves. His hand trails up the inside of her thigh, stroking gently as he pushes her nightgown up. His hands and lips continue to tease her before Sharon bites her lip and lets out a small moan as she's roused from her slumber. Her thigh drops to the side slightly as his tongue firmly laps over her center. She feels Andy's lips curl into a grin against her skin before he lifts his head up.

"Oh, don't stop," Sharon murmurs, sitting up slightly to look down at Andy nestled between her thighs. Andy flicks his tongue out again to tease her, drawing a soft groan from her mouth. Sharon drops her head back to the headboard, reaching down to thread her fingers through Andy's hair. She clutches him closer as his mouth goes back to work, bringing her to the brink. Sharon pants as her hips rock in time with his ministrations, letting her mouth drop open.

"Oh god Andy. I…uh god." Andy teasingly slides two fingers into her depths, thrusting them gently.

"Oh yessss," Sharon moans, arching her hips up as his fingers curl. Andy rubs his tongue firmly over her clit before suckling the small bud into his mouth, muffling his grunt as Sharon's thighs snap around his head. The redhead lets out a long groan as she floods Andy's mouth as she cums. Andy slowly brings her down from her high, giving her one parting lap before starting to kiss his way up her body. He presses a couple extra kisses to her belly before he makes his way up to her lips, indulging her in a deep kiss. Sharon hums and wraps her arms around Andy holding him close.

"Happy birthday," Andy murmurs against her lips. Sharon smiles and rubs her hands over Andy's back.

"Very happy indeed," Sharon replies. Andy sinks back down onto his side of the bed, letting Sharon nestle into his side. She presses a kiss to his shoulder with a happy sigh, "That was amazing to wake up to…"

"Not my best work, but I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"You woke someone else up," Sharon giggles into his shoulder, shifting more onto her back and rubbing her hand over her belly, "He's going crazy."

"What if it's a girl?" Andy comments as he watches her.

"What if?" Sharon smiles, grabbing Andy's hand after a moment and puts it low on her stomach, pressing down just slightly, "Can you feel that?"

"I do," Andy's smile widens, rubbing the spot softly. The last couple weeks Sharon had been telling him about the baby rolling around and occasionally kicking, but he hadn't been able to feel anything himself yet, "You know I think that's morse code for 'Happy Birthday Mommy' she's tapping out in there."

"It'd be great if he or she wasn't doing that right on my bladder," Sharon grumbles with a grin, slipping out of bed and heading into the bathroom. She comes back a few minutes later and slips back into Andy's side, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

"We don't have to be anywhere until the game later, anything the birthday girl would like to do this morning?"

"Just lay in bed with you, maybe leave at some point for provisions."

"Why don't I go make us breakfast real quick, and I'll grab that movie we rented last night. And then we can have a lazy morning in bed."

"Sounds very promising," Sharon smiles. Andy presses a kiss to her lips before getting out of bed and padding towards the kitchen. Sharon straightens out the covers and settles in against the pillows, absentmindedly rubbing her belly as she grabs her phone, responding to a few missed messages before the phone starts to ring in her hand. A smile flits across her face when she sees her mom's face pop up on the screen, swiping her thumb across the screen to answer. She winds the conversation down when Andy comes back with a food laden tray a while later.

"My mom says hi."

"Hi Kathy!" Andy calls out a little louder as he puts the movie in before settling in bed next to Sharon with their breakfast. Sharon laughs and says goodbye to her mom before hanging up the phone and dropping it into her lap.

"She misses you."

"Me?"

"I think you very much enamored my mother the last time her and dad came to visit," Sharon smiles, reaching out for the mug of tea on the tray. She takes a small sip and sets it on her bedside table, "My dad…fifty fifty."

Andy laughs and drops a kiss on Sharon's head as he turns their movie on. Sharon lays her head on his shoulder and starts to tuck into her breakfast. By the time the credits rolled a couple hours later breakfast had been discarded to the trunk at the end of the bed and Sharon and Andy were definitely no longer paying attention to the film.

"Oh god," Sharon moans, clutching the headboard in her hands as she rocks her hips hard and fast against Andy's. Andy grunts as he buries his face in her chest, flexing his own hips upwards in time with Sharon's thrust. His hands slide over her back to her backside, clutching the globes of flesh in his hands to pull her roughly against him.

Sharon moans as Andy takes a nipple into his mouth, teasing the tender flesh with his tongue and teeth. Her hand moves from the wood of the headboard to the back of his head, dragging him closer as she speeds up her thrusts. After a moment Sharon pulls Andy's head away in frustration before pulling off of him. She slides off of his lap and turns towards the foot of the bed before bending over on her knees. She flips her hair over her shoulder and looks back at Andy with dark, desired filled eyes. Andy growls as he takes his position on his knees behind her, surging into her with his full length.

"Yes!" Sharon cries out, pushing her hips back against his, finding the rough and fast, friction filled rhythm she'd been searching for on his lap. Andy wraps his arm around her waist, sliding his fingers into the wetness between her legs as his finger tips trail teasingly over her clit at first before starting to massage the firm nub in time with his thrusts. He groans as he feels her pulse around him, teetering on the edge of ecstasy. He presses his lips to her shoulder, dragging his teeth across the pale skin gently before biting down at the juncture of her neck. Sharon gasps and bucks back against him, her eyes clenching shut as she feels her desire coil tighter. Andy soothes the bite with a soft kiss before he huffs gently in her ear.

"Come for me Shar…" Andy commands, slamming his hips hard to Sharon's, finding his release right along side hers, both of them crying out as they let go. He thrusts gently a few times as they come down from their high before dropping back to his earlier position propped up against the head board. Sharon groans as she flops down to the bed, staring at Andy with half lidded eyes as she pants, a small grin flitting across her lips. Andy laughs and pulls her closer, draping her over his lap as he captures her lips in a kiss. He shifts down slightly so his head is laying back on his pillow and Sharon is laying astride his body. The redhead slips down to lay at his side, rubbing her hand up and down his chest as their legs tangle together.

"We got time for a nap?" Sharon inquires, her eyes already starting to droop shut.

"Plenty of time," Andy confirms with a small yawn. He reaches down and tugs the blankets back up around them before starting to doze off.

* * *

Sharon adjusts her hat on her head and wraps an arm around her belly as she loops her free arm through Andy's as they approach Dodger Stadium.

"You know that's a good color on you," Andy comments, looking down at Sharon. She looks up and smiles, a small blush coloring her cheeks as she straightens out the blue Dodgers t-shirt.

"Thanks, my boyfriend got it for me for my birthday," She grins. Andy laughs and squeezes her arm, pressing a quick kiss to her temple as they begin to approach the gates, "Where do we need to go in?"

"Over here," Andy gestures to their right. He guides her along with a hand to her back towards one of the bobble head statues.

"Where are we going?" Sharon asks, narrowing her eyes.

"There might be a few people meeting us here," Andy admits as they get closer to the statue, finding a group of people huddled together talking. He had invited Provenza and Patrice, Nicole and her family, Gavin and Andrea as well as Emily and Patrick to take in the game with them. Emily turns her head from her conversation with Gavin when she sees a flash of red hair, a wide grin spreading across her face.

"Mom!" The brunette calls out, jogging over to meet the couple and wrapping her arms around her mother.

"Emily!" Sharon grins, hugging her daughter tight, "What are you doing here? I thought you were just coming for the charity ball later this week."

"Andy asked if we were able to come early. He figured it would be a good birthday present," Emily explains as she pulls back with a smile, her hands immediately going to Sharon's belly, "And hello baby. The pictures have not done this justice, it's so cute!"

"What pictures?" Sharon asks as she narrows her eyes at her daughter. Emily's eyes widen and she bites her lip as she shrugs with a small smile.

"I might have asked Andy to send me a couple pictures," Emily admits. Sharon rolls her eyes and laughs as pulls her daughter in for another hug, holding her close for a long moment.

"Patrick is here, come say hi," Emily says after Sharon lets her go. The young brunette smiles, waving at Andy before walking Sharon over to the group. Sharon greets everyone that had managed to make it for the game, thanking everyone for their birthday wishes, before Emily waves her hand at a tall man lingering off to the side. He was a few inches taller than Emily and Sharon, but shorter than Andy. His chiseled features were offset by dark auburn hair tied in a bun on top of his head, and deep blue eyes, "Mom, Andy, this is Patrick. Patrick, this is my mom, Sharon, and her boyfriend, Andy."

"Patrick, it's nice to finally meet you in person," Sharon smiles, embracing the boy. His eyes widen before he hugs Sharon back.

"It's great to meet you guys also," Patrick replies, letting Sharon go, "Thank you for having me, and happy birthday."

"Thank you," Sharon nods, stepping back slightly. Andy puts a hand on the small of her back to grab her attention.

"We should head inside."

"Right, lead the way," Sharon smiles, looping her arm through Andy's and following him through the gate. The group manages to make its way down to their seats on the first base line before Andy offers to get drinks and snacks.

"Grandpa, can we come with?" Nicole's sons, Daniel and Jacob, request.

"Sure," Andy nods. The boys hop up from their seats and make their way down the row. Sharon stops Jake and whispers in his ear, earning a few giggles from the boy before she pulls away.

"Got it?" Jacob nods and grabs his brother's hand before they follow Andy up the stairs. Soon Andy and the boys return, laden with drinks and snacks, handing them down the row before Andy sinks down next to Sharon and hands her the Dodger Dog she'd requested. He tucks a bag of snack mix between them along with an ice cream cup. Andy presses a kiss to Sharon's cheek with a smile. She rolls her eyes as she chews, smiling around the food in her mouth.

"Good?" Sharon nods before swallowing.

"Definitely hitting the spot."

"Good birthday?"

"The best," Sharon smiles, pressing a kiss to Andy's lips.

* * *

After seeing everyone off post game Andy wanders over to where Emily and Sharon were talking quietly, sitting on a bench as Patrick lingered nearby.

"Girl talk?" Andy asks as he takes up residence next to Patrick.

"Ah yeah. Something about Ricky," Patrick shrugs. Andy nods and sticks his hands in his pocket.

"I'm glad you were able to come out, I know Sharon's glad to meet the guy Emily is head over heels for. Hard to do for a dancer," Andy smiles.

"Me too. I've been wanting to meet you guys for a while, but the company has been so busy."

"You know you're liable now that all of us have met you? You make that girl cry once, you'll have the entirety of the LAPD after you."

"Lieutenant Provenza made sure to mention that earlier," Patrick smiles. Andy frowns as Sharon's face crumples slightly before straightening, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She quickly swipes it away before noticing Andy's gaze. She waves him over with a small smile before standing, slipping an arm easily around his waist.

"Ready to go home?"

"Yeah, everything okay?" Sharon nods.

"Patrick and I are staying downtown, but we'll come by for lunch tomorrow if you're not too busy?"

"I think that sounds great," Andy says with a smile. Emily hugs her mother and kisses her cheek before following Patrick to their car, both of them offering one last wave. Andy guides Sharon back towards their car, his hand rubbing along her back.

"What were you and Em talking about?"

"Just stupid stuff with Ricky. Emily said he hasn't really been talking to her much lately either…I'm just worried Jack's managing to actually finally turn one of them against me."

"Shar, the kid's almost 30 years old. If he's still letting his dad play mind tricks with him like that…"

"I know, I know…" Sharon sighs as they approach the car, opening her door and getting into the passenger side, "It just hurts."

"I know," Andy agrees, getting into the driver's side himself and taking her hand, "All you can do is try. And you do a very good job at that."

"Is that a crack at me being an over bearing mother?" Sharon smiles as she lets her hand settle in his.

"Not one bit. Everything you've done for those kids has been out of love, and none of it has been overbearing," Andy tells her, smiling back, "Sometimes it just takes them a while to appreciate it."

"I love you," Sharon tells him, leaning over the console and pressing a small kiss to his lips.

"I love you too. Did you have a good day today?"

"I did. You are...just absolutely amazing and treat me so well. I would have been perfectly content to just lay in bed with you all day. But this was so much fun, and it was so great to see everyone, and Emily and Patrick...it was perfect," Sharon tells him honestly.

"You deserve it," Andy smiles, squeezing Sharon's hand before they pull onto the main road and start heading home.

* * *

Later in the week finds Sharon and Emily getting ready to head out for a spa day to get ready for the LAPD Charity Ball they were attending later in the evening. Sharon leans over the back of the couch and presses a kiss to Andy's temple.

"Emily and I are going to go, we'll be back around four and all we need to do is get dressed and leave. You better have been in the shower by then."

"Aye aye Captain," Andy grins, leaning his head back and pressing a kiss to her lips, "See you later."

"I love you," Sharon smiles, winking at him before following her daughter out the door. She hands Emily the keys, deciding to let her drive before slipping into the passenger seat. Later in the afternoon when they're sitting in the pedicure chairs at the spa Emily looks over at her mother after closing the magazine in her lap.

"So, what do you think about Patrick?"

"I like him," Sharon smiles as she looks over at Emily, "He's good for you, to you…"

"But?"

"No buts," Sharon says, "He's great. But he was great before you brought him home, he's definitely handsome."

"Mom," Emily rolls her eyes as she blushes.

"Why do you care what I think about your significant others now?" Sharon asks, leaning into the massage balls on her chair, threading her fingers together over her stomach. Emily shrugs and looks down at her hands.

"Patrick's special. I love him. A lot. Probably more than I've ever loved anyone," Emily admits, "We just…fit."

"It's hard to find that person," Sharon tells her daughter, reaching over to take her hand, "I thought I'd found it with your father."

"Why hadn't you?" Emily asks, curious.

"There were rough edges I ignored. I thought they would get better with time and they didn't, they got worse. I loved your father, Em. But it wasn't something that was supposed to last. I probably could have saved you and Ricky a lot of heartbreak if I'd just accepted that sooner."

"We turned out okay. Well at least I did," Emily grins. Sharon laughs and squeezes Emily's hand, "And you found Andy."

"I did find Andy," Sharon smiles softly.

"So are you guys going to find out what you're having?" Emily asks, changing the subject. Sharon shrugs as she rubs her hand over her stomach.

"I don't know," She says, "I found out with you and Ricky…it was nice. It's easier to pick out names, to put together the nursery, buy clothes. You get to bond on a little bit deeper of a level. But the surprise would also be fun."

"You hate surprises."

"I do not," Sharon says indignantly.

"Do too," Emily insists, "I thought you were going to kill us for throwing you a surprise birthday party for your 40th."

"There are different kinds of surprises." Emily rolls her eyes.

"I'm serious! There's being assaulted by it, a surprise party, a surprise proposal, big grandiose affairs. And then there's maybe throwing a couple extra things in dinner or mixing new paint colors together and seeing how it's going to turn out, a much more gentle surprise. Something you can't be disappointed in."

"That's a pretty deep viewpoint of surprises, Mom." Sharon shrugs and smiles, looking down at her toes as they get finished. She wiggles them with a grin before getting out of her chair along with Emily.

"What's next?"

"Massages, then hair and makeup, then we are done for the day," Emily replies as she loops her arm through Sharon's, walking her back to the massage area.

* * *

Emily tosses the keys into the bowl just inside the door with a flick of the wrist that mirrored her mother. She smiles when she sees Patrick loitering in the living room, looking at pictures that were hung on the wall and scattered through the book case. He was dressed in a tailored tux with a charcoal grey bowtie with his hair pulled into a clean bun at the nape of his neck. Emily watches quietly for a moment as his head tilts as he looks at a baby picture of hers, before finally speaking.

"Hey, don't you clean up nice?" She says as she approaches him from behind. Patrick turns on his heel and smiles, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Emily's lips, "And you even shaved."

"You look beautiful…" He comments as his hand rests on her hip.

"Thank you," Emily smiles and blushes.

"Where's Andy?" Sharon asks as she flips through their mail, tossing a couple things in the trash before putting the rest on the table for the next morning.

"Shower," Patrick answers. Sharon huffs and rolls her eyes as she moves down the hallway. Emily laughs and kisses Patrick once more before following her mother. Sharon opens the door to the ensuite, where sure enough Andy was in the shower.

"I thought I said shower before we got home."

"The game went into extra innings. I got distracted," Andy calls out from the shower, "I'm almost done, we'll still be on time."

"We better be," Sharon says, her tone threatening, shutting the door once again. Emily opens both of the garment bags hanging on the back of the door and pulls out their dresses. Sharon sheds the button up shirt and jeans she was wearing before grabbing her dress and lowering the zipper, stepping into the cobalt blue fabric. Emily helps her straighten the dress out before zipping her up.

"This isn't too much right?" Sharon asks as she adjusts the fabric stretched over her stomach.

"Oh god no, Mom you look gorgeous," Emily assures her with a smile. She unzips her own slate grey dress before undressing and pulling it up her waist. She holds the strapless gown to her chest, as she turns her back to her mother, looking up as Andy comes out of the bathroom in a towel.

"Oh," He says, "Umm…"

"Why I wanted you to shower before we got home," Sharon says as she zips Emily's dress before nudging her out the door, "I'll bring your shoes out."

"Thanks," Emily comments as she escapes from the room with her eyes glued to the floor. Sharon shuts the door before getting Andy's tux out. He catches her arm as she breezes by en route to the closet, pulling her closer to his body.

"Hey." Sharon huffs and blows a curl out of her face as she looks up at him with a raised eyebrow. Andy grins and leans down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. Sharon hums and melts into his grasp slightly as she kisses him back.

"I'm trying to be mad at you," Sharon murmurs against his lips.

"You should try not looking so hot while you're doing it," Andy replies, letting her go to finish drying off and start getting dressed. Sharon rolls her eyes and continues towards the closet, grabbing her shoes as well as Emily's before disappearing out of their bedroom and down the hall. She hands Emily her shoes before bracing a hand against the back of the couch as she pulls on her own nude pumps.

"Don't you two look cute together," Sharon comments with a grin as Emily stands next to Patrick, putting on her own shoes.

"Sure, Mom," Emily rolls her eyes with a laugh. Andy comes out a couple minutes later dressed in his tux, holding his bow tie out to Sharon.

"Mind giving me a hand?" He asks with a small smile. Sharon rolls her eyes as a grin spreads across her lips, beckoning him forward with her hand. She loops the fabric around his neck before bending and tying it into a bow. She bites her lip as she straightens it out before buttoning his top button and brushing her hands over his lapels.

"There you go," Sharon smiles, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, "You look handsome."

"You look pretty amazing yourself," Andy smiles, resting a hand on her hip, "Ready to go?"

"Yes, let's go," Sharon says, pulling away and grabbing her clutch off the kitchen table before heading out to the car that was waiting for them.

* * *

Sharon smiles as she sways across the dance floor at the Disney Concert Hall in Andy's arms, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Have I ever told you how much I love dancing with you?"

"Maybe once or twice," Andy grins, spinning her around slowly before bringing her closer. Sharon laughs and drops her head to his shoulder as they lull back into a slow sway.

"Keep spinning me around like that I probably won't get any sleep tonight," Sharon comments with a smile on her lips.

"Who said you were getting any sleep tonight anyway?" Andy rasps in her ear, "Teasing me, having to spend all night looking at you in that dress."

"Plenty of other dresses you could have looked at," Sharon teases.

"Bullshit," Andy replies, squeezing her closer, "Yours is the only one I ever want to look at."

"Good," Sharon smiles, pressing her lips to Andy's in a gentle but promising kiss. They move each other across the dance floor to a couple more songs before Sharon steps back from Andy's embrace. She nods towards the bar and keeps a hold on his hand, "Break?"

"Sure," Andy nods, walking with her towards the bar. He orders them both a drink, resting his hand on her back as they wait.

"Thank you," Sharon smiles, pressing a kiss to his cheek before taking the glass from the bartender's hand and taking a sip, "Mmm, mind if we take a seat? My feet could use a rest."

"Of course not," Andy says, grabbing his own glass before guiding her out to the balcony and over to a lounge set. Sharon takes a seat on the couch, crossing her legs at the ankles as she takes another sip of her drink, watching Andy take a seat across from her. She arches her eyebrow at him. Andy smiles, pulling her feet into his lap and taking off her shoes. Sharon smiles and leans back on the couch, resting her hand over her belly as Andy gently rubs her feet. She tilts her head as she catches Andy's gaze, studying the look on his face. It was reverent, soft, filled with love and an edge of desire.

"I don't know if I've ever seen that look on your face before," Sharon comments. Andy straightens up a bit and shrugs, the look clearing from his face.

"What look?"

"I don't know if I can put a name to it," Sharon comments, a small smile slipping across her lips, "I liked it though."

Andy smiles and leans forward, bracing his arms on his legs as he rests his chin on his fists.

"I got a question for you."

"Oh you do?" Sharon asks, arching her eyebrow. Andy rolls his eyes with a smile and pulls her across onto his lap. His hand falls easily around her waist to hold her close as his lips press a soft kiss to her cheek, hoping to distract her for a moment as he digs in his pocket. Sharon lets out a small chuckle as she leans her head against his shoulder, noticing his searching hand, "What are you doing, Andy Flynn?"

Andy pulls his hand out a moment later, triumphantly holding up a wood ring box in his palm. Sharon's hands immediately reach out to caress the soft wood, her thumb running over the smooth shell skin embedded in the top.

"It's gorgeous," Sharon breathes, taking the box into her own hand.

"Wait till you see what's inside," Andy comments, murmuring softly in her ear. Sharon swallows hard as she flips the top of the box open, gasping as she sees the ring inside, nestled in creme velvet. Delicate strands of white gold woven together in a series of vines to cradle a tastefully sized hazel colored tourmaline stone.

"Andy…"

"I know we're doing it a little backwards, but finding a ring that I wanted to give you wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. And when I finally decided to have it made, that was a whole thing, and I didn't even know if I was going to have anything to give you tonight, it's why I was late getting ready, we had to drive all the way across town to pick the ring and the box up this afternoon and…"

"You're rambling," Sharon says softly with a smile as she looks at him, tears already starting to form in her eyes.

"Sorry…" Andy apologizes, taking a deep breath before starting over, "Sharon…will you marry me?"

"Of course," Sharon replies, cupping Andy's cheek in her hand and kissing him deeply. She pulls back and looks into his eyes as she rests her forehead against his, "Of course I'll marry you."

"You will?" Andy grins, a surprised look on his face. Sharon laughs and nods, kissing him again. She spends a few moments kissing him before pulling back as he takes the box from her and slides the ring onto her finger, taking a moment to admire it on her hand.

"You had this made for me?" Sharon asks as she lets her hand fall to her lap, looking over at Andy in wonder.

"Nothin' else seemed like a good fit," Andy shrugs. He closes the box and sets it into her palm, "Even had the box done. The wood and shell is from the first walk we ever took together on the beach."

"Oh Andy," Sharon murmurs before kissing him again. She wraps her arms around him and hugs him tight, her lips pressing to his temple gently, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Andy replies, his hand falling between them to rub her belly, "Both of you."

Sharon covers his hand and smiles at him. They both look up as Emily and Patrick come over, both slightly tipsy and tired as she leans into him, her heels abandoned in her hands.

"Hey, we were gonna go and…," Emily trails off as she yawns, "…get an Uber back to the hotel. You guys staying?"

"I think we're going to head out in a couple minutes too," Sharon answers smiling at Andy, "Maybe do a celebratory drive through In-N-Out on the way home?"

"I think we could manage that," Andy agrees, squeezing her hip softly.

"Celebra-oh my god did you finally propose!?" Emily exclaims at Andy. Sharon nods and holds out the ring for her daughter to look at. Emily squeals and bounces on her feet as she takes Sharon's hand, admiring the new bauble on her mother's finger, "It's gorgeous, way prettier than the pictures."

"You knew?" Sharon accosts, taking her hand back as she looks at her daughter through narrow eyes.

"Of course," Emily scoffs, "He asked Ricky, Rusty, and I if he could propose a couple weeks before the heart attack. Didn't have a ring yet, but still wanted permission."

"You asked for permission?" Sharon murmurs as she looks at Andy. Touched that he had asked her kids, more touched that he seemed intent on asking her before, or even without, an annulment.

"I did, figured I was probably more likely to get an okay from the kids than your dad," Andy jokes. Sharon laughs and hits him in the chest.

"And you tell me I'm sneaky."

"You are," Andy insists. Emily squeals again and hugs both of them tight.

"Congratulations you two!"

"Thank you, baby," Sharon smiles at her daughter as she pulls back. Patrick shakes Andy's hand before leaning down and kissing Sharon's cheek.

"Congratulations, from what Emily has told me you two seem like a great match for each other."

"We like to think so," Andy replies, smiling at Sharon. She nods and pecks him on the lips.

"Very much so," Sharon agrees. She turns her attention back to her daughter and her date, "You two be safe getting home, let me know when you get there. And don't forget church tomorrow morning at _nine_."

"Yes mom," Emily drones before starting to drag Patrick away, giving them one last wave before they disappear inside.

"In-N-Out?"

"I'm starving," Sharon admits with a laugh, dropping her head to his shoulder. She threads her fingers with his and squeezes his hand, "You didn't even know I asked for the annulment."

"Just as much as you want to spend your life with me, I want to spend my life with you. I knew that there was a possibility that we were never going to get married. I still wanted to promise myself to you, no matter what. You're the love of my life, Sharon."

"Andy," Sharon murmurs, reaching her hand up to stroke his cheek, "You are...the love of my life doesn't even begin to cover it..."

"We've got the rest of our lives to figure it out," Andy says with a smile, nudging her up onto her feet before standing himself. He wraps an arm around her waist and leads her through the concert hall and out the front door.

Sure enough she made their driver stop at the first In-N-Out they were going to pass, leaning over him to get to the window to order herself a burger and fries. Andy pays for the food and hands the bag over to her before watching with interest as she begins to devour the food.

"Part of me is horrified at what I'm seeing but a much bigger part of me is seriously turned on," He comments as they near the house. Sharon arches her eyebrow as she swallows the last bite of hamburger, swiping a napkin softly over her lips. She offers out the last french fry to him, a dark look in her own eyes.

Andy leans forward and takes the fry from her hand before pressing his lips to hers in a hungry kiss, dropping the stick of potato back into the bag. Sharon chuckles as she kisses him back hungrily, her arms wrapping around his neck. They break apart as the car parks in front of the house. Andy drops a quick kiss on her lips before getting out of the car and holding his hand out to help her out.

Sharon puts her hand in his and climbs out of the car, thanking their driver and tipping him before wrapping her arm around Andy's and following him inside. She kicks her shoes off inside the door and sets her clutch on the table before heading to the kitchen to throw away her trash. Andy's arms slip around her waist as she meets him in the hallway, pressing her lips to his hungrily.

"Let me take my hair down and I'll meet you in bed?"

"Aye Aye, Captain," Andy grins. Sharon smiles and shoves him towards their bedroom, striding into the bathroom to take her hair down. She takes all of the clips and pins from her hair, running a brush through it a couple times before washing her face. She towels off and turns the bathroom light off, returning to the bedroom.

Andy had draped his jacket and shirt over the pile of dry cleaning and was sitting on the edge of the bed taking his shoes off. Sharon runs her fingers through his hair and presses a kiss to his temple. Andy drops his shoes next to the foot of the bed before standing and slipping his arms around her waist, pressing his lips to hers. Sharon hums and kisses him back as she curls her hands into the waist of his pants.

As their hands move across each others bodies they sink into bed, moving together at languid pace. Sharon finds herself lost in thoughts of her relationship with Andy. Lost in memories of his hands cradling her close as they slept next to each other at night, gentle kisses on her cheek before they dated, walks along the beach with a salty breeze in the air. She thought about how well they fit together, how natural her interactions were with him, how he made her think about and feel things that she'd never experienced before.

Sharon's nails scrape against Andy's skin as her back arches into her release, her chest pressing against his as a choked sob tears from her throat. She sinks back down to the bed as she takes in a deep breath and clutches Andy close, swallowing hard as tears roll down her temples.

"Hey, hey, hey," Andy murmurs, shifting his weight and brushing Sharon's hair away from her face, "Where are the tears coming from?"

"How did I ever get lucky enough to find you?" Sharon whispers as she cups Andy's face in her hands, "And why couldn't I have found you sooner?"

"We found each other at the perfect time in our lives," Andy murmurs pressing a gentle kiss to her lips before slipping to her side, pulling her closer. He rubs his hand up her back, stroking up and down gently. Sharon lets out a choked laugh as her arm stretches across his chest and she slings her leg over his hip.

"That's a pretty romantic even for you," Sharon murmurs as she sniffles, "We wasted so much time."

"I have you now, I'm never letting you go," Andy tells her.

"I'm never letting you go either," Sharon whimpers, snuggling closer. Andy runs his fingers through her hair and cradles her head back in his hand, pressing his lips to hers.

"I love you so much, Shar."

"I love you too, I can't wait to marry you."

* * *

[TBC]


	9. Chapter 9

Please keep the reviews coming and enjoy!

* * *

Sharon sits up straighter and rubs a hand along her back as she looks at the tablet in her other one. She lets out a soft groan as she drops the tablet to her desk, resting her forehead on her hand.

"Everything okay?" Andy asks as he walks into her office and sets a mug of tea down in front of her.

"Yeah, my back is just a little sore," Sharon smiles as she leans back in her chair, picking up the mug, "So, I've been thinking."

"I knew I smelled smoke," Andy smiles as he leans against the desk. Sharon rolls her eyes as she takes a sip of the tea, resting the cup against her stomach.

"I think we should find out today."

"Find out?" Andy asks, arching his eyebrow.

"What we're having," Sharon comments, referring to her doctor's appointment later that afternoon as she takes another drink, "I mean you weren't particularly hard pressed either way. Were you?"

"No," Andy shakes his head, crossing his arms as he looks down at her, "You sure you wanna find out?"

"Yeah," Sharon replies and nods with a smile. Andy smiles back and looks out into the murder room to check they weren't being watched before reaching down, and rubbing his palm over her belly, stopping when he feels a couple kicks against his hand. Sharon covers his hand with hers, threading their fingers together.

"We should get going if we want to be on time," Andy comments as he looks at his watch. Sharon nods and finishes her tea before pushing herself up and out of her chair.

"Maybe we could do some shopping after? Start getting some things for the nursery?" Sharon asks since they had taken the rest of the afternoon off, figuring there wasn't much of a point in coming back for an hour after her appointment.

"Whatever you want."

"Mmm, that usually leads to a very large credit card bill," Sharon smiles as she follows him out the door and down to the parking garage. Andy holds her door open for her when they get to the car, waiting for her to get in before shutting it and heading around to the driver's side.

They manage to find a parking spot on the street close to the doctor's office before heading inside and checking in. Andy takes a seat in the relatively empty waiting room and Sharon stands in front of him, swaying from side to side as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"You sure you're alright?" Andy asks as she stands.

"Yeah," Sharon smiles, reassuringly, "I could use a few minutes of standing. I've been bent over files all day."

"Okay," Andy nods, leaning back in his seat as they wait. After a few more minutes the nurse calls for them and they head back to the exam room. Andy keeps a watchful eye as Anna and Sharon go through the exam portion of the appointment, before Anna brings out the ultrasound. Sharon moves her shirt up, tucking it under her bust before taking Andy's hand in hers. She quickly inhales as Anna squirts gel on her stomach, smiling at Andy as he squeezes her hand.

"Alright?" Andy asks as he presses a kiss to her knuckles.

"Yeah just cold," Sharon replies before looking over at the screen as Anna starts the ultrasound. Her smile widens as they focus in on the baby.

"Measurements look good, everything seems on pace," The doctor assures them, "You said you wanted to find out today?"

"Yes, please," Sharon smiles, squeezing Andy's hand tight. Andy presses his lips to her knuckles once more, watching the screen as Anna moves the wand around before stilling it on the bottom left of Sharon's stomach.

"See that?" Sharon studies the screen, chewing her bottom lip as the monitor is turned closer. She releases her lip as she lets out a laugh, her free hand coming to cover her mouth.

"What?" Andy asks. Sharon tears her eyes away from the screen and looks up at him with a sparkle in her hazel eyes.

"It's a boy," Sharon tells him, letting out another laugh, "We're having a boy."

"A boy?" Andy asks, looking at the screen, tilting his head for a moment before the baby rolls away from them. Anna smiles and turns the machine off before putting everything away, handing Sharon a couple tissues.

"There will be a couple pictures out at the desk for you guys. I want to see you back in a couple weeks and we'll do your glucose test then, okay?"

Sharon nods and thanks Anna before wiping the gel off her stomach and fixing her top. The doctor bids them a good afternoon before leaving them alone in the exam room. Andy offers her a hand to help her off the table, resting both of his hands on her stomach once she's standing in front of him.

"A boy?"

"A baby boy," Sharon says again with a smile on her lips. She leans up on her toes and presses a kiss to Andy's lips before taking his arm in hers and walking out to the front desk. She hands him the pictures before scheduling her next appointment and putting it into her calendar. Andy tucks the pictures into his pocket and rests a hand on the small of Sharon's back as he guides her to the car.

"Where do you want to go shopping?"

"The Grove?" Sharon arches her eyebrow as she opens the passenger side door, knowing Andy hated shopping at the Grove, "I'll even bribe you with the promise of cheesecake after dinner."

"Split it with me?" Andy asks with a smile.

"I'm 26 weeks pregnant...I don't split things anymore," Sharon grins before getting into the car.

After battling some traffic to get across town and finding a place to park, Sharon holds onto Andy's hand as they walk through the busy shopping district. Andy has to bite back a groan when the first store she drags him into is Pottery Barn Kids. Sharon walks him around each of the sample nurseries set up, practically cooing at almost everything before they walk back to the third one and she runs her hand along the top of the crib. He watches as she bites her lip before looking at him with a doe eyed look.

"What?"

"I want it."

"The crib?" Andy asks, stepping closer to start examining it himself.

"And the changing table and the dresser," Sharon adds on in a soft tone.

"Why do I feel like you're asking for permission?" Andy asks warily as he looks at the furniture. It did go well together, which was obvious considering it was all set up in the same area. He figured she wouldn't be looking at him like that if she didn't really want it, but what was the catch.

"It's…pricey," Sharon demures, wrapping her arms around her belly, "But it's an investment. He's not going to grow out of this furniture for a few years. We won't have to get a toddler bed and the changing table can be a shelving unit once he's out of diapers."

"How much of an investment?"

"All three pieces? Two thousand."

"Two…" Andy starts to yell before lowering his voice, "Two thousand dollars?!"

"It's good furniture, we won't have to buy new stuff in a couple years, and it'll fit well in the extra bedroom. And it'll go perfectly with the glider I got last week."

"What glider you got last week?"

"Oh my god, literally the most comfortable chair I have ever sat in in my life. I got it last weekend when I went out with Gavin, I would have waited for you but it was already backordered and we were already there…" Sharon trails off as she thinks back to the previous weekend before looking at Andy, "Did I forget to mention that?"

"I think so," Andy says with an amused look as he wraps his arm around her waist, looking down at the crib before looking at her, "This is the set you want? You don't want to look anywhere else?"

"This is the set I want," Sharon answers in the affirmative, nodding her head.

"Okay, then this is the set we're going to get."

"Really?"

"Of course, nothing but the best for our baby. And God knows you have the design eye in the family," Andy assures her as one of the staff members approach them. They arrange for the furniture to be delivered the next week before paying for everything and moving out of the store. Sharon smiles as she holds onto Andy's arm while they walk, resting her cheek against his bicep.

"Take it easy on my wallet for the rest of the day will you?" Andy jokes as he squeezes her hand. Sharon laughs and shakes her head.

"Not a chance."

* * *

By the time Sharon gave Andy and they headed to dinner his arm was laden with many bags from many different stores. She sets her menu down and looks across the table at him, giggling at the slightly glazed over look in his eyes.

"Don't worry, we can go home after this."

"I think I might have PTSD," Andy cracks as he closes his own menu. Sharon hums as she takes a drink from her water glass, rubbing her hand back and forth over her stomach absentmindedly.

"I'll enlist Gavin and Andrea to help with the rest," She assures him with a soft smile. They both look up as their waitress comes back over. Sharon places her order and hands her menu over before Andy does the same. After the waitress leaves Sharon looks back over at Andy, reaching across the table to take his hand, her fingertips gently playing across his skin.

"The rest? How can there be anything else to buy?" Andy comments looking at the bags by their table. Sharon levels him with a raised eyebrow as her fingers stop moving.

"Do you really want me to start listing it all off?"

"Probably not," Andy acquiesces, before taking a deep breath and smiling, "I don't mind going shopping with you...for the rest of the baby stuff."

"You don't?" Sharon asks after taking another drink.

"Of course not," Andy says, turning his hand over and taking her hands in his, slowly stroking his thumbs over her knuckles, "I'm not just going to show up at the hospital in a few months and pat you on the head saying good job. I want to do this with you, all of it. No matter how much I hate shopping."

"You sure about that?" Sharon asks as a smile spreads across her lips as she looks at him, her head tilting gently to the side.

"More than anything," Andy assures her.

"Okay," Sharon nods, a small blush coloring her cheeks, "I'll start making a list."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Andy smiles. He lets her fingers resume playing over his hand after giving her hands one final squeeze, "Have you thought about a wedding at all?"

"Here and there," Sharon admits, "It's something that would be nice to do before the baby gets here. But we don't really need a big to do, we've both been through it once, it's a lot of money and planning and people. Why don't we just get our license, pick a day, drag a couple of witnesses with, and we go down to the church and just…do it."

"Sounds like you've thought about this more than here and there," Andy teases, "That's what you want? What would make you happy?"

"Yeah. Doesn't that make more sense? I have a lifetime of memories with you ahead of me. And no matter what, that day is going to be special."

"It is going to be special," Andy agrees, smiling as he captures her fingers again. Sharon laughs and pulls her hand back out of his grip, "Let's pick a date."

"Right now?" Sharon asks, arching an eyebrow.

"Right now," Andy nods. Sharon nods slightly before grabbing her phone out of her bag and starting to go through their calendar.

"What about the 4th? It's a Wednesday in a two weeks - we could take a long weekend, go up to the mountains and get a cabin," Sharon proposes, "September 4th isn't an awful wedding anniversary."

"I think September 4th sounds like a great day to get married," Andy smiles.

"I'll talk to Father Simon," Sharon smiles back at him, pressing her lips to his palm.

* * *

Over the next couple weeks Sharon and Andy took care of the little amount of planning that their wedding would need. They each bought new outfits, Andy booked them a cabin getaway in the mountains, they both went down to the court house to apply for their marriage license, and made sure that they each had a witness to come on the big day. All that was left was to actually get married, which Andy was present for, but his other half was not.

"Oh would you stop with the pacing!" Provenza yells at Andy as he paces at the front of the church, "Hobbs said she'll be here in a few minutes."

"What if she changed her mind?"

"She didn't change her mind," Provenza tells him, "It's a little late for that now anyway."

The men look up as the doors to the church slam open and Gavin and Andrea come breezing in.

"Sorry we're late, _someone_ didn't grab the right shoes," Andrea announces, throwing a look at Gavin as they walk down to the front.

"The woman asked for cream shoes - do you know how many pairs she has?" Gavin bites back before smiling at Andy, brushing his hands over his shoulders and straightening his tie, "Don't you clean up well, Lieutenant."

"Thanks, where's…"

"Bathroom," Andrea provides with a smile.

"Sorry we're running late, Father," Andy apologizes again.

"Andy, it's fine," Father Simon assures him with a gentle smile. Everyone's heads look up again as the door opens once more, revealing Sharon. She immediately finds Andy's eyes and smiles broadly at him as she makes her way down to the pulpit. She'd chosen a simple lace front, tea length cream colored dress to wear that day. The light, gauzy fabric draping gently over her stomach as her heels clack gently against the church's stone floor. Andy winks when she gets close enough, offering his arm out to her. Sharon lets out a small laugh as she loops her arm through his, turning to face Father Simon.

"Thank you for waiting, Father," Sharon smiles. Father Simon leads the small group through a trimmed down ceremony, before encouraging Andy and Sharon to face each other.

"Andy, do you take Sharon to be your wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and honor her all the days of your life?"

"I do," Andy nods as he squeezes Sharon's hands, smiling at her. Sharon sniffles as she smiles back, already trying to hold back her tears.

"Sharon, do you take Andy to be your husband? Do you promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and honor him all the days of your life?"

"I do," Sharon replies, holding tighter onto Andy's hands.

"You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide. Rings?" Provenza taps his jacket pocket a couple times before pulling out their rings and handing them over. Father Simon holds them out in his hand, showing them to Sharon and Andy, "May the Lord bless these rings which you give to each other as the sign of your love and fidelity. Andy, if you'll take Sharon's ring and repeat after me…Sharon, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

"Sharon," Andy says as he slides the ring onto her finger, "Take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

"Sharon, take Andy's ring and repeat after me," Father Simon says, holding the ring out to Sharon, "Andy, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

"Andy," Sharon says as she holds Andy's hand in hers, looking into his warm chocolate eyes as she slides the ring down his finger, "Take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

Sharon smiles at Andy as Father Simon finishes up the ceremony, raising her eyebrows when he says they can kiss. Andy chuckles and pulls her closer, pressing his lips to hers in a deep kiss. Sharon hums as she cups his cheek in her hand, kissing him back eagerly for a moment before pulling away.

"Not a bad first kiss, Mr. Flynn."

"Quite enjoyable, Mrs. Flynn," Andy replies, placing another peck on her lips before letting her go, "I believe we have some paperwork to fill out."

"I've got it right here," Father Simon says, pulling out a clipboard and a pen, "All ready to be signed."

Andy signs his line before handing everything over to Sharon. She scribbles her signature across the line before handing it to Gavin. She wraps her arm around Andy and smiles up at him as she holds him close.

"You're stuck with me now."

"One of the better decisions I've made in my life," Andy comments as he presses a kiss to her forehead. Sharon hums and drops her head to his chest, squeezing him tight.

"I love you, Andy," Sharon whispers. Andy smiles and presses another kiss to her head.

"I love you too, Shar."

"Come on you two, plenty of time to kiss later. Let's get a couple pictures out front," Gavin says. Sharon laughs and pulls back from Andy, holding onto his hand as the group thanks Father Simon once more before going out front. Gavin manages to coax everyone into a couple pictures before turning the video on.

"Let's see some ring action here," Gavin says. Sharon rolls her eyes with a laugh as she holds up her and Andy's hands for the camera.

"We're hitched!" Andy says, pressing a kiss to Sharon's lips as they push Gavin out of the way. Sharon laughs as she kisses Andy back, wrapping her arms around him. Andy pulls back, pressing a soft kiss to her nose, "We should get going if we want to get there before dark."

"We should get going before I devour you on the church steps," Sharon murmurs in his ear with a grin on her lips. Andy chuckles as he kisses her once more before letting her go. They both thank their respective guests before retreating to their car. Sharon leans up and presses a kiss to Andy's cheek as he opens her car door for her, "A whole weekend away, what am I going to do with you, Mr. Flynn…"

* * *

[TBC]


	10. Chapter 10

Sharon digs her nails into Andy's chest as she sinks down onto him, her jaw dropping open as she lets out a soft groan. Andy grunts and arches up against her, his hand gripping her hip hard. She bites her lip as she settles astride him, her hands smoothing down his chest. Andy's hand releases her hip and wraps around her to stroke the small of her back.

"I love you," Sharon murmurs as she braces her hand against his chest and begins to rock her hips. Andy finds an easy rhythm with her, lifting his hips to meet her thrust for thrust. Her head drops back as she moves, her hair hanging in a veil of auburn caught in the moonlight.

"God Sharon," Andy groans, his calloused fingertips sweeping over her skin before he cups her breast in his palm. He brushes his thumb over her nipple as his fingers massage gently. Sharon's moans get louder as she hips move harder against his, trying to get closer. She drops her chin to her chest and gazes at Andy with dark green eyes, curling her finger at him. Andy sits up and wraps his arms around her, kissing her hungrily as his hands find their way up her back before burying into her hair.

Her whimpers and moans spur him on, moving them harder against each other. Sharon rests her forehead against Andy's, pressing her lips gently against his cheek, her tongue trailing over his jaw line. She bites gently at the soft skin she finds there, letting out a loud moan as Andy bucks up hard against her.

"So close," Sharon whispers against his skin. He untangles one hand from her hair, slipping it between them to massage his fingers over her clit. Sharon moans as she feels his fingers, rocking greedily against him to find her release, "Oh god…oh…yes."

"Fuck, Shar," Andy grunts, bucking up harder against her. Sharon arches her back and lets out a long moan as her release moves through her nerve endings, spreading fire through her skin and muscles. She sinks her weight against Andy, letting him fill her fully as he groans through his own release, his hand tightening in her hair. They both pant quietly as they lean against each other for support, hands stroking over sensitive and sweaty skin.

Sharon pulls back slightly and presses a kiss to Andy's lips, holding him close for a moment before slipping from his lap with a whimper. She presses her lips to his cheek before getting out of bed and padding to the bathroom. Andy winces as the light turns on, grabbing a couple tissues form the bedside table to clean himself up before fixing the blankets and stretching out on his half of the bed. Sharon comes out a moment later and grabs Andy's discarded undershirt from the floor, pulling it over her head before climbing into bed and finding his lips again.

"I don't know that I'll ever get tired of kissing you," Sharon hums as she settles into Andy's side. Andy wraps his arm around her back and snuggles her close. Sharon leans over a bit more and grabs her phone off the bedside table. She checks her notifications before muffling a chuckle against Andy's chest.

"How bad?"

"Let's see, twenty three missed calls, and I would say maybe…fifty text messages," Sharon comments as she settles again, unlocking her phone before scrolling through the messages left by their children after receiving the video that Gavin had shot earlier in the day, "Without listening to the voice mails I'd say they are off the ledge of being insulted they weren't invited. But they also don't understand the concept of a wedding night."

"No I wouldn't say they do," Andy comments with a laugh. Sharon rests her head on his shoulder and lifts the phone to her ear, listening to the voice mails. Andy smiles as he listens to her giggle for a while before she gives up the phone and tosses it back onto the bedside table.

"I didn't get any from Nicole so she must have called you," Sharon says, pressing her lips to Andy's chest before closing her eyes. She smiles as she feels Andy's hand move over her stomach, redirecting his hand to the top and covering it with her own, "Feet up here."

"How's he doing?" Andy asks quietly, massaging a foot lump as it appears.

"Winding down," Sharon murmurs as she yawns, snuggling further into Andy starting to doze off, "My sleepy baby boy..."

* * *

Andy wakes up the next morning, wincing from the sunlight filtering through the window they had left open the night before. He reaches over and finds empty bed, sighing as he sinks back into the pillows a bit more. He lays quietly for a few minutes before getting out of bed and grabbing his boxers. He tugs on a pair of jogging pants from his bag along with a new undershirt before padding downstairs in search of Sharon. He sees that she had started a pot of coffee for him and that the front door was open.

Andy looks at his watch, assuming she had gone on a run considering the time. He pours himself a cup of coffee, moving in the direction of the porch. His head perks up as he hears a skid of gravel as he's walking out. He sets his cup down and continues moving towards the door, moving faster when he hears Sharon cursing.

"Son of a...!" Sharon yells as she falls in a heap on the gravel of their cabin's driveway. She pants as her arms shake, bracing her weight on them so she doesn't fall on her stomach.

"Sharon!" Andy sprints across the front yard and comes to a skidding stop next to her, almost falling over to himself. He leans down and sweeps her up into his arms before carrying her inside. He sets her down on the couch before taking her hands in his, looking at the gravel embedded in her palms, "Are you okay?"

"I think so," Sharon says, her voice shaky, "Managed to get in almost three miles and tripped on a damn rock outside the front door."

"You've got a couple cuts on your hands, there's some dirt…" Andy comments as he checks her over from head to toe, "Scraped the shit out of your knee. How's your ankle feel if I move it around?"

"Fine," Sharon assures Andy as he rolls both of her ankles around. He rests his hand on her belly, arching his eyebrow at her, "He's fine. Managed to catch myself."

"I'm gonna see if there's a first aid kit."

"There should be something in my bag if not," Sharon says, holding her hands palm up as Andy goes in search of some things to clean up her wounds. He comes back a few minutes later with a kit in his hands, taking a seat on the coffee table as he takes her hands in his. He cleans up her palms, wrapping a little gauze around her left hand before moving onto her knee.

"Your pants are ruined," Andy says as he tears them open a little wider so he can clean off her scraped up knee cap.

"I don't think I've skinned my knee in probably thirty years," Sharon comments with a wince as he douses it with antiseptic.

"Well you didn't half ass it," Andy says as he links together a couple bandaids to cover it up, "But you don't half ass much."

Sharon rolls her eyes at the compliment stretching her leg out with a whimper.

"Great start to our honeymoon."

"I don't think this will put too much of a damper on things, but maybe no more running until after the baby is here?" Andy suggests, his eyebrows arching in a concerned manner.

"No more runs," Sharon agrees.

"Why don't I scrounge us together a little breakfast and you can answer those incessant phone calls we've been getting from our kids?"

"I think that sounds great," Sharon smiles, kissing Andy softly, "Thank you for playing doctor."

"Any time," Andy winks before closing up the first aid kit and heading into the kitchen. Sharon manages to call each of their kids, talking to each for a small while before Andy brings an omelet over to her. She drops her phone onto the coffee table and thanks him as she takes the plate and fork. He sets down a glass of ice water for her as well before taking a seat at the other end of the couch, lifting her feet to make a space for himself, "Talk them all off the ledge?"

"Threw a few inheritance threats in there for good measure," Sharon jokes as she eats, "I just explained that even getting the four of them in the same place at the same time is a struggle, Emily can't use any more vacation time at the moment, and we didn't need a huge wedding. Just each other and a couple witnesses. I told them we would celebrate at Christmas once the baby is here."

"Sounds like a plan, Mama," Andy replies with a smile, squeezing her thigh.

* * *

Sharon runs her hand through her hair as she leans in the doorway to the kitchen of the cabin, watching as Andy puts the finishing touches on the dinner he was making them.

"That smells delicious," Sharon comments as she straightens up, walking over to Andy and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Hey I didn't hear you. I was just coming to get you up," Andy says with a smile squeezing Sharon's hand before turning around and pressing a kiss to her lips, "You clean up nicely."

"Well I figured we could get through our honeymoon before I started dressing like a slob," Sharon grins, letting go of Andy and grabbing flatware to set the table, "What did you make?"

"I made a tenderloin, grilled corn and asparagus, and a big salad. There was a farm stand on the way to the store. I picked up the veggies there," Andy tells her as he pulls the meat out of the stove.

"That all sounds amazing," Sharon says with a smile, as she sets their plates out. She finishes setting the table and fills their glasses with iced tea before taking a seat. Andy serves them both after cutting up the tenderloin. He wipes his hands off on the towel hooked in his pocket before tossing it on the counter and taking a seat across from Sharon. She smiles at him as she takes a drink of her tea.

"This looks great," Sharon says as she sets her glass down, "Thank you."

"You are very welcome," Andy smiles. They talk quietly over their meal before a timer goes off as Sharon steals the last bite of meat off of Andy's plate.

"What's that?" Sharon asks as she swallows. Andy gets up from the table and sets his napkin on the table with a smile.

"No celebratory dinner is complete without dessert," Andy comments with a smile before going over to the oven. Sharon smiles as she rests her chin on her hand, watching him.

"I smelled something deliciously sweet, I thought it was just you," Sharon comments as her smile widens into a grin.

"Oh it's me too," Andy grins as he sets the cake pan he had pulled out on the stovetop. He clears their dinner plates before filling their empty glasses with sparkling cider. Sharon arches her eyebrow and takes a small sip, "It goes with dessert."

"Which is?" Sharon asks.

"Almost ready," Andy says, winking. He cuts a large slice out of the cake before adding some whipped cream and bringing it over to the table with two forks, "Apple upside down cake."

"Apple upside down cake? I think you're missing a pine in there somewhere," Sharon teases as she eyeballs the cake with hungry eyes. Andy rolls his eyes and hands her one of the forks, "Also I thought we were in agreement that I don't share much any more."

"Believe me I know," Andy replies, thinking of the night recently that she had not so gently stabbed the back of his hand with a fork when he had swiped a couple fries off her plate, "But I only want a couple bites."

"I guess it's acceptable," Sharon smiles, reaching out to take the first bite of the cake. Andy only eats a few bites of the cake, setting his fork down and shoving the plate over to Sharon's side of the table. Sharon hums as she takes another bite of the cake, dragging it through the melting whipped cream, "Your son thanks you for indulging my sweet tooth."

"I think it's evolved into more than a sweet tooth," Andy smiles, resting his head on his hand as he watches her finish off the slice. Sharon rolls her eyes and licks off her fork before setting it on the empty plate.

"Thank you. For a lovely dinner, dessert...it was great," Sharon tells Andy with a loving smile on her lips.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Andy tells her before clearing the table and packing away the leftovers. He offers a hand out to Sharon and helps her out of her chair before wrapping his arms around her. Sharon hums happily and wraps her arms around his neck, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

Unconsciously they begin to sway back and forth as they continue to kiss. Andy pulls away from her lips and skims his own down her jaw before burying his face in her neck as he holds her close. Sharon smiles as she hears him begin to hum song lyrics into her shoulder.

"What are you singing down there?" Sharon asks. Andy straightens up and takes Sharon's hand in his, moving her across the kitchen floor as he continues to sing to her.

"I could hold you for a million years, to make you feel my love..." Andy serenades. A blush colors Sharon's cheeks as he continues to sing to her, gently swaying her across the main floor of the cabin. She stops Andy once he finishes singing, pressing a soft kiss to his lips as she rests her hands on his biceps.

"He knows your voice," Sharon murmurs against Andy's lips.

"What?" Andy asks as he pulls back, his eyebrow arching. Sharon takes Andy's hand from her waist and puts it on her stomach where the baby was intent on trying to kick his way out.

"He loses it any time he hears you talking for an extended period of time," Sharon tells Andy.

"He does?" Andy asks with a wide grin. Sharon nods and laughs as Andy squats down in front of her, pressing his lips to her belly as his hand rubs back and forth gently, "Hey bubba. I can't wait to meet you."

Sharon smiles as she watches him talk to the baby for a little bit before tugging on his hair.

"Come back up here," Sharon tells Andy. Andy straightens back up to stand in front of her, resting his hands on her belly.

"Sorry, got distracted," Andy smiles. Sharon leans up with a smile and kisses him gently as she presses her body into his. Andy's arms move around her waist as he hugs her closer, "I love you Shar...you know that right?"

"Of course. I love you too," Sharon smiles, "I love you so, so, so, so much."

"Why don't I take you upstairs and show you?" "I could be persuaded," Sharon chuckles as his hands wander, walking him back towards the stairs and letting him take her to bed.

Later in the evening, Sharon groans as she drops back against her pillow, her chest heaving as Andy grins down at her.

"You're going to kill me with that much enthusiasm," Sharon tells him, a smile on her lips.

"Well we wouldn't want that would we?" Andy comments, trailing his fingers over her body.

"Stop! I can't take anymore. I'm going to be walking cockeyed tomorrow as it is," Sharon whines, trying to turn away from his hand. Andy laughs and pulls his hand back, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

"I'll leave you be," He says before kissing her lips gently. Sharon kisses him back before sitting up and reaching over to her bedside table to grab an envelope. She hands it to Andy and drops her head against his shoulder, "What's this?"

"Wedding present."

"You didn't have to get me anything," Andy comments as he looks at the envelope before slipping his finger under the flap and opening it. He pulls out two football game tickets as well as an IOU, "Tickets to the Rams Giants game?"

"I figured if there was one game we were going to try to make it to this season it'd be this one. It's a Sunday morning game in October, I thought it would be fun."

"That sounds great," Andy says, leaning over to kiss Sharon, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Sharon smiles.

"What about the IOU?"

"Well depends on how the rest of the season goes, but we're on the guaranteed list for post season tickets if the Dodgers make it into the playoffs."

"Seriously?" Andy says, sitting up a little taller. Sharon shifts away from his shoulder and nods.

"I put in preference for first baseline, but we'll see what we get," Sharon shrugs with a smile, "I know it's kinda lame to put an IOU in there, but it's going to be a few weeks until they're guaranteed in and they get the tickets printed…"

Andy silences Sharon with a kiss as he wraps his arms around her.

"These are great. You're great," Andy murmurs, "I love you, thank you."

"I love you too," Sharon replies, kissing him back with a smile, "I'm glad you like it."

"I feel bad, I didn't get you anything," Andy says as he sets the envelope on his bedside table. Sharon groans as she settles on her side, resting a pillow under her hip. Andy wraps his arm around her waist as he lays at her back.

"You didn't have to," Sharon assures him with a smile, covering his hand with hers as she yawns, "Having you is gift enough."

"Sap."

* * *

Andy sighs as he sinks down onto their bed, glad to be home even after a nice few days away. Sharon sits on her knees behind him and wraps her fingers around his shoulders, massaging gently.

"God that feels good," Andy groans as his head drops forward. Sharon smiles and presses a kiss to his neck as she continues. After a few minutes her hands still as his phone rings, "Oh my god you've got to be kidding me."

"Maybe it's Nicole?" Sharon offers before sighing as her own phone starts to ring, "Or it could be work."

"We just got back."

"No rest for the wicked," Sharon comments before leaning over to grab her phone. They both have relatively short conversations before looking at each other for a moment. Sharon looks at her watch and sighs getting out of bed.

"Shar, you're not going."

"I'm not, but you're going to drop me off at the office on your way to the crime scene. I can get a decent nap in before you guys get in."

"Sharon."

"Two weeks - two more weeks before I go on maternity leave. I've conceded crime scenes, I'm still solving cases," Sharon says stubbornly as she goes to change from her night gown into a suit for the office. She comes out a couple moments later, clipping her gun and badge to her belt. The two get ready in a compatible silence, riding quietly to the station. Andy pulls in and stops the car before looking over at Sharon. He reaches over and gives her belly a rub before pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Have a good nap."

"Be safe, call if you need anything, I love you," Sharon murmurs against his lips, giving him one more kiss before getting out of the car. She swipes into the building and makes her way up to her office. She flips the light on and sets her bag on her desk, noticing a large blue gift box in the middle of it. She takes the card with her name on it off the top, flipping it open.

 _I've always wanted to give you the stars._

Sharon smiles as she recognizes the messy script as her husband's before setting the note down and opening the box. She's surprised to find a new door name plate nestled inside on blue tissue paper next to a pair of sparkling Commander stars in a display box.

Sharon reaches in and pulls the small box out, opening it up to run her fingers over the shimmering stars. She sniffs back a couple tears and lets out a soft chuckle before putting them back to take home later and picking up the name plate. She walks over to her door, sliding out the one already there before replacing it with the new one. She smoothes her fingertips over the letters, admiring it for a moment before a yawn breaks past her lips as she feels the baby stretch out.

"I know, I know you're tired," Sharon murmurs as she rubs her belly, shutting the door and pulling the blinds. She discards the old nameplate on her desk before kicking off her shoes and stretching out along her couch with a satisfied sigh. She manages to find a semi comfortable position that wasn't cutting off any circulation before dozing off into a light slumber.

Sharon manages to get a few hours of sleep in before she hears the door open. She cracks an eye open and smiles when Andy squats down next to the couch. Her hand reaches out and cups his cheek before she opens her eyes all the way and sits up.

"See you got my gift."

"I did, thank you," Sharon says, "I definitely wasn't expecting it…"

"I bugged Howard about it a few times. The pay benefits won't kick in until the promotional freeze is actually over, but for all intents and purposes you are now Commander Raydor."

"Has a nice ring to it, hmm?"

"Great ring to it," Andy smiles and offers her a hand up after he stands himself.

"Bring me up to speed?" Sharon requests as she moves out into the murder room to meet the rest of the team.

* * *

[TBC]


	11. Chapter 11

Sharon leans out of the shower after she hears the door open and shut, listening for a moment before hearing Andy dropping his keys in the bowl.

"Dinner's on the table!" She yells out before resuming her shower. She gets out a few minutes later and towels off before dressing in a large t-shirt and a pair of leggings, heading for the kitchen, "What's the case you caught?"

"Double homicide in Canoga Park," Andy says as he grabs his dinner out of the microwave, "I'm just grabbing dinner and a change of clothes."

"What is that?" Sharon asks as she rounds into the kitchen, immediately noticing the baby pug sitting on the kitchen table, "And why is it on my table?"

"Oh. That's Pickle," Andy says as he leans against the counter, starting to eat, "Victim's dog. Must've just got him, he's not that old."

"And you brought him here why?"

"He's cute," Andy says, "He's quiet. Sweet. I think he'd be good for the baby."

"You got the baby…a dog named Pickle…at a crime scene."

"Just…hang out with him for the night, see what you think. If you're still not too thrilled with the idea when I come back in the morning we can take him to the shelter."

"Andy…" Sharon says apprehensively.

"Please? I think it'd be good to have a dog around the house. Even a little dope like this guy," Andy says as he ruffles Pickle's ears, "I picked up some food and a toy for him, it's in the bag."

"Fine," Sharon grumbles, looking at Pickle before looking up at Andy as he leans down to press a kiss to her head. "I'm gonna grab some clothes, then I gotta go."

"Okay," Sharon sighs, watching him disappear down the hall before walking over to the table and picking up the dog. Pickle wiggles in her grasp before settling against her chest, nuzzling her neck. Sharon automatically nuzzles his head and sighs softly, "Andy knows exactly what he's doing."

Sharon takes Pickle into the living room, settling down on the couch with him before turning the TV on. Andy comes out with a bag of clothes and leans over the back of the couch, pressing a kiss to Sharon's cheek.

"I love you, I'll see you in the morning," Andy murmurs.

"I love you too," Sharon looks up at him and smiles, "Be safe. And grab a snack out of the kitchen. I made some of that banana bread you like. I don't want you going to the vending machine."

"Aye aye," Andy winks before heading out of the house, stopping in the kitchen on the way.

* * *

"What's going on?" Sharon asks as she sets a to-go container down on Andy's desk the next afternoon, watching as he pulls out his kevlar vest to put on.

"We're going out," Andy says as he lifts the vest over his head, "Did you bring me lunch?"

"I went out with Rusty and Gus, we got lunch together. I figured you were busy so I thought I should make sure you ate," Sharon murmurs quietly. She helps Andy put on his vest looking up into his eyes as her hands smooth out the velcro, "Be careful okay?"

"Always am."

"Says the guy who has jumped onto a moving car," Sharon says as she looks up at Andy. He shrugs with a grin before leaning down and kissing her softly. Sharon hums quietly as he pulls away, "Love you."

"Love you too," Andy says softly. Sharon squeezes his sides momentarily before pulling back and looking at Provenza.

"Lieutenant?"

"Commander," Provenza replies as he straps on his own vest, "I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thank you," Sharon nods. She sends off her team with a good luck before heading back down to the car, thanking Rusty and Gus for waiting. Pickle climbs out from the back seat to the front, standing on Sharon's lap as he looks out the window, "Gus, do you mind if we swing by a pet store on the way home? Andy only picked up a small bag of food for Pickle last night."

"No of course not," Gus smiles as he pulls out into traffic.

"How did the painting go?" Sharon asks as Pickle settles in her lap, "Were you guys able to finish?"

"Yeah, we got a couple coats on before we set up some fans for it to dry," Rusty says, "It looks nice."

"Did the pictures get delivered?"

"Before we left to pick you up," Gus assures Sharon, "We checked them to make sure everything was intact before putting them with the rest of the stuff in the nursery."

"You two are amazing," Sharon says with a smile, "I don't know how I would have pulled this together without you guys."

After a quick stop at the pet store to pick up some of the essentials, Rusty and Gus lug everything inside for Sharon before following her to the nursery. She smiles as she looks around the room, happy with the paint job the boys had given it earlier in the day. Finding out that they were having a boy had definitely made deciding how to decorate easier. She'd chosen the wall the crib was going to be sitting against to be painted Dodger Blue and the other walls a light grey.

Andy had put the furniture together once it had been delivered, leaving the rest of the decor decisions up to her after they finished their shopping, but insisting he would help if she needed his input on anything. She'd waved him off, insisting she already knew what she wanted to do with the space and that it was going to be a surprise. Rusty and Gus had been enlisted to help paint and she'd met Gavin and Andrea for breakfast, lugging Pickle along, to give them a chance to get into the room.

"This looks great, really. You two did an amazing job," Sharon compliments with a smile, "Are you two staying?"

"I have to work in a couple hours," Gus replies.

"And I have homework," Rusty shrugs apologetically.

"Of course," Sharon hugs Gus and presses a kiss to his cheek before hugging Rusty, "Have a good night. Thank you again for taking care of all of this today."

"Let us know if you need any more help with the room."

"I think I might be able to get it finished tonight," Sharon says after looking at her watch before shrugging, "We'll see."

Sharon walks Rusty and Gus out before getting Pickle dinner and letting him outside. She changes into sweats while he's in the back yard before calling him in and shutting and locking the sliding glass door. Pickle trots behind her as she makes her way to the nursery, sniffing his way around the things sitting on the floor.

"What do you think, Pick? You want to give me a hand organizing all of this stuff?" Pickle looks up at Sharon and tilts his head. Sharon smiles and grabs the throw pillow off of the glider, tossing it on the floor to sit on before starting to go through all of the things they had purchased for the baby. She folds and puts away the clothes, organizes all of the knick-knacks into baskets and drawers around the room before getting out the bedding. After making the bed and putting away the extra linens Sharon gathers up all of the packaging and trash, taking it to the kitchen to stuff into the trash. Sharon opens the side door to go out to the garage, pointing a finger at Pickle.

"Stay," She commands him before turning the light on in the garage and shuffling through their tools. Sharon grabs a hammer and a box of nails and screws along with a laser level before making her way back inside, smiling as she finds Pickle laying on the kitchen floor chewing on the toy Andy had gotten him the night before.

"Who's a good boy?" Sharon coos at him before tossing him a treat. She takes a break to make her own dinner before resuming her work in the nursery. Grabbing a step stool on the way, Sharon uses the laser liner to mark out a level line over the crib. She measures out a few different points along the line before driving nails into the wall.

Sharon gets out the box of pictures that had been delivered earlier in the day and sorts through them. She'd managed to get her hands on some vintage Dodgers artwork and had sent it out to be framed to be put up in the nursery. She hangs up the pictures and straightens them out before stepping back to survey her work.

"What do you think?" Sharon asks as she leans down to pick up Pickle, "Think he'll like it?"

Pickle drops his head to her shoulder and Sharon smiles, kissing his head.

"Yeah I think he'll like it," Sharon grabs the box the pictures came in and the tools, heading back to the kitchen after turning off the light in the nursery. She tosses the box next to the trash can and puts the tools away, "What do you say we get in bed and do some reading hmm?"

Sharon carries Pickle down the hall after quickly checking that she'd locked up. She deposits him onto the bed before shimmying off her sweatpants and draping them over the foot of the bed. Pickle sidles up to her once she gets settled in her side of the bed, resting his head against her belly as she grabs her book off her bedside table.

* * *

Sharon hums as she hears the front door shut, reaching over to turn her alarm clock towards her, sighing when she reads the time. She slips out of bed and shrugs her robe on before padding down the hallway towards the kitchen.

"Are you just getting in?" Sharon murmurs as she finds Andy rifling through the fridge. He winces as he stands up, holding a couple containers of left overs.

"Yeah, just finished filling out a stack of paperwork a mile high," Andy comments with a tired smile as he makes himself a plate, tossing it into the microwave and stabbing a time in. He reaches up to grab a glass off the top shelf, his face contorting in pain again. Sharon narrows her eyes as she watches his stiff movements.

"Andy..."

"Hmm?" Andy mumbles as he brings the glass down, filling it with water from the sink. Sharon walks over and runs her fingers up his side slowly, stopping when he tenses and presses down lightly, earning a sharp hiss from him.

"Andrew Flynn, I thought I told you to be careful," Sharon reprimands, turning him around and starting to unbutton his shirt.

"Shoulda told the perp," Andy comments as she lifts his undershirt, gasping at the bruise flowering on his side.

"I told you to call me if anything happened."

"It's fine, nothing's broken, it's just gonna be bruised for a few days," Andy grumbles, enjoying the feel of her cool fingers brushing against his skin, "You don't need the stress right now anyway."

"I need to know you're okay," Sharon insists, leaning down to press a kiss to the angry purple skin, "You should put some ice on that."

"I'll put some on before I go to bed," Andy assures her. Sharon sighs and lets him go so he can finish making his dinner and eat, "What'd you do last night?"

"The boys and I stopped at the pet store on the way home, picked up a few things for the dog," Sharon tells him as she sits on one of the stools.

"So we can keep him?"

"Yes, we can keep him," Sharon tells Andy with a small smile, "He's already taking up your side of the bed."

Andy laughs before starting to dig into his dinner. Sharon reaches over and steals a piece of broccoli off his plate.

"Finished putting away everything in the nursery."

"Everything?" Andy asks, arching an eyebrow.

"Mmm, I'll show you when you're done," Sharon smiles, resting her chin on her hand as she watches him. Andy works his way through his dinner before putting his dishes in the dishwasher, holding a hand out to Sharon. She takes his hand and slips off the stool, leading him down the hall.

"Close your eyes," Andy obediently closes his eyes before she opens the door to the nursery and turns the lights on. Sharon nudges him in carefully before telling him he could open his eyes. Andy opens and winces slightly at the flood of light, rubbing his eye before looking around as he blinks. Sharon watches his face apprehensively as she rubs her hands over her belly, "What do you think?"

"Shar, this looks...amazing," Andy says as he wraps his arm around her shoulder, "You did all of this tonight?"

"Rusty and Gus came and painted this morning, but everything else, yeah," Sharon smiles as she looks around again herself, wrapping an arm around Andy's waist, "You think he'll like it."

"It's perfect," Andy says, pressing a kiss to her head, "He's gonna love it. I love it."

"Good," Sharon smiles and rests her head against Andy's shoulder, "Come on, let's get you tucked into bed."

"Always trying to get me into bed," Andy teases tiredly as Sharon turns off the lights before pushing him towards the bedroom. She goes to the kitchen and grabs an ice pack and a towel before meeting Andy in the bedroom. She encourages him to lay down on his side before wrapping the ice pack in the towel and wrapping it around his bruise. Andy winces and jolts at the cold against his skin before settling into his pillow. Pickle gets up from Sharon's side of the bed and sniffs at Andy's back for a couple moments before stretching out along his back.

"Try to keep it on for a little while and sleep on this side, okay?" Sharon asks before straightening his shirt and pulling the blankets up. She sits on his side of the bed for a while, stroking her fingers through his hair and coaxing him to sleep. She smiles as she watches the two of them sleep for a moment before getting back into her own side of the bed.

* * *

[TBC]


	12. Chapter 12

I've been writing this fic offline for a while and a Halloween chapter seemed relevant at the time, but it's still a fun part!

* * *

"Hey you two!" Nicole greets as she opens the door to her father and Sharon, "Come on in, Dean's just getting the boys into their costumes."

"Hey honey," Andy greets, hugging his daughter before moving further into the house. Nicole hugs Sharon before walking the couple into the kitchen.

"You guys want anything to drink?"

"I'm fine," Andy says, leaning against the counter.

"Water would be great," Sharon says as she takes a seat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. Nicole gets out a bottle of water and hands it over before taking a seat across from her stepmother.

"The boys are so excited to go trick or treating with Grandma and Grandpa."

"It'll be fun to take them out. I think last time I went with you you were what...yea tall?" Andy says holding his hand to his hip.

"Yeah I think I was 10, maybe? Mom let us go out on our own the next year," Nicole recalls with a smile before looking at Sharon, "How are you feeling?"

"Whale like. I definitely have the waddling thing down," Sharon smiles as she screws the cap back onto her water bottle, "But only a few more weeks, I think I'll manage to survive."

"You look great," Nicole offers with a smile, "Still at work?"

"Nope, I've been living a life of leisure the last few weeks," Sharon comments, "I haven't worn anything but leggings in the last week. And I think Emily is getting tired of talking to me."

"Sounds heavenly," Nicole smiles before looking over at her father, "What about you, Dad?"

"Just waiting until the big day, hopefully stay out through New Years."

"Grandpa!" The boys yell before running over and crashing into Andy's legs.

"Hey guys!" Andy says, squatting down to the boys' level, "Who do we have here? Iron Man and Captain America, you two gonna catch all the bad guys tonight?"

"Uh huh!" Daniel nods, his mask falling into his face. Andy laughs and pushes it back up his face, before hiking his thumb over his shoulder, "Sharon, got you two something for tonight, why don't you go check it out hmm?"

The boys bypass Andy and run over to Sharon, skidding to a halt in front of her.

"Whoa!" Jake says as he looks up at Sharon, "You look like you swallowed a basketball."

"Jacob!" Nicole reprimands, a frown on her face. Sharon chuckles and shakes her head.

"It's fine," Sharon smiles, ruffling Jake's hair, "The baby's gotten bigger since the last time we saw you guys."

"Can we feel it?!" The boys ask in tandem.

"Of course," Sharon says, climbing off the stool, "Let me see your hands."

Both of the boys hold their hands up obediently and Sharon puts Jake's on the left side of her stomach before putting Daniel's closer to the top since he was taller.

"Now just wait a second," Sharon encourages them, holding a finger to her lips. She smiles as she watches the boys jump as the baby rolls over.

"That's so weird!" Jake says as he jumps back, shaking his hand like he'd gotten something sticky on it. Daniel laughs at his brother's antics before pulling his own hand back.

"Does he do that a lot?"

"It's his favorite thing to do right now," Sharon grins.

"Sharon, Grandpa said you had presents," Jake pipes up.

"I do have presents!" Sharon exclaims, clapping her hands before digging in her purse and shaking out two trick or treat bags for the boys, "And they light up."

"Awesome! Thank you!"

"Thank you!" Both of the boys reach up and take their respective bags from Sharon.

"You are very welcome," Sharon smiles, "You two ready to go?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, let's go!" Sharon says, ushering the boys towards the door as she grabs Andy's hand as they follow, "We will be back soon."

"Have a good time!" Nicole calls after them as they four of them head out the front door. Sharon and Andy manage to keep pace with the boys as they walk their way through Nicole and Dean's neighborhood, moving from house to house. Sharon reaches into Daniel's bag after a few blocks and digs herself out a fun size Snickers.

"Hey!" Daniel says indignantly, moving his bag to the other side of his body. Sharon laughs and opens the treat as they continue to walk. Andy grins and shakes his head, resting his hand on the small of Sharon's back. She tucks the wrapper in her pocket and swipes her tongue over the corner of her mouth to catch a spot of melted chocolate.

"Doin' alright?" Andy asks as they continue to walk, keeping an eye out for the boys. Sharon nods and smiles as she leans into Andy.

"Any chance I could talk you into a massage when we get home later?" "You don't have to talk me into anything," Andy smiles, pressing a kiss to Sharon's temple.

"You're too sweet," Sharon smiles.

After walking the boys through the neighborhoods and treating the family to pizza once they got back, Andy and Sharon helped tuck the boys in before bidding Nicole and Dean a good night and heading home themselves. Andy tosses the car keys into the bowl by the door before hanging his jacket up.

"Go get ready for bed, I'm gonna let the dog out."

"Thank you," Sharon murmurs, pressing a kiss to Andy's lips before heading down the hallway. She washes her face and brushes her teeth before changing into a sports bra and a pair of shorts. She grabs a bottle of lotion off of her dresser and squirts some into her palm before rubbing it into her arms and stomach as she sits in bed, crosslegged, waiting for Andy. Pickle jumps onto bed as he and Andy come into the bedroom. Sharon smiles and ruffles his ears before he curls up in the corner on her side.

Andy changes into his pajamas before climbing into bed behind Sharon. He takes the bottle of lotion from her before turning on the tv.

"News or football?"

"Football." Andy turns on the Sunday Night Football game before tossing the remote onto the bed next to Sharon's leg. He squirts a dollop of lotion into his hands before starting to massage it into her shoulders. Sharon hums and rolls her neck to the side as his hands dig in, "I had fun with the kids tonight, you?"

"It was fun," Andy agrees with a smile, "They love hanging out with you."

"Mmm right now I'm a fun house attraction for them," Sharon smiles, "A little bit bigger every time we see them, and then one day...Pop! A baby shows up."

"You're funny," Andy laughs and runs his thumbs down her spine. Sharon smiles and looks over her shoulder at him with a wink. She turns back around and focuses on the game for a few minutes before speaking again.

"We haven't talked about that too much."

"Talked about what?" Andy asks, his tongue sticking out as he focuses on a knot.

"What the game plan is when the baby gets here. Or I suppose, decides he wants to be here," Sharon clarifies, "We haven't even gone to look at hospitals yet."

"It's your day, what do you want?" Andy asks as his hands move to the small of her back and her hips, "I'll do anything you want me to. What'd you do with Emily and Ricky?"

"I had an epidural part of the time with Emily. I had them take it out, it made me feel awful. Ricky was completely natural," Sharon tells him.

"So, no pain meds," Andy summarizes, "What else?"

"I want you there," Sharon says, looking back at Andy over her shoulder with a sad look on her face, "Jack was lackluster with Emily and he didn't even show up for Ricky...I need you there. I don't want anyone else, just you."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," Andy says, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Good," Sharon smiles slightly.

"And if we need to go look at hospitals, make appointments. I'll get the time off," Andy assures her.

"I'll make some calls tomorrow," Sharon murmurs, leaning back into Andy's grasp. He rubs his hand over her belly before massaging her sides gently as he holds her, "Did you look at that book that I left for you yesterday?"

"I did look over it earlier today while Provenza was here," Andy replies, "Quite a few flags in there."

"They all sounded so cute," Sharon says, pausing Andy's ministrations as she leans back further with a wince.

"You okay?" Andy asks concerned. Sharon nods and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"He's taken to stretching out sometimes, which is always a thrill at the size he is," Sharon comments, "Especially when it's during a contraction."

"Contractions?"

"They're just practice ones," Sharon assures him before settling back in, "Keep going."

Andy shakes his head and rolls his eyes, pressing a kiss to her shoulder before starting to talk again.

"I looked through all of them," Andy comments, "Took most of them out."

"You took most of them out?" Sharon whines.

"Just the bad ones," Andy teases, pausing for a moment to grab the book off his bedside table and hand it to Sharon, "Take a look through what's left. I guarantee you we'll be able to decide on something."

"What if you took out my favorite one?" Sharon asks as she flips through to see which of the flags she had placed were left.

"Well then you should have said it was your favorite one," Andy replies. Sharon rolls her eyes as Andy smoothes his hand over her side. Sharon hums as she leans into Andy's chest, continuing to look through the book in her grasp. Andy blows her hair out of his face before wrapping his arm around her shoulders. After a moment, Sharon looks up, "You took out all of them except for two."

"Yeah, first and middle."

"Andy..." Sharon grumbles, looking back at the book before her face softens and she smiles, "Oliver and Louis, those were my favorite."

"Yeah?" Andy asks with a smile. Sharon nods and looks up at him, pressing a kiss to his lips as she closes the book and rests it in her lap, "Know how I knew that?"

"Hmm?"

"Cause I love you," Andy smiles and kisses her once more. Sharon chuckles against his lips and deepens the kiss before pulling back after a moment.

"I love you too."

* * *

"How many of these do you have scheduled?" Andy asks as he holds the door open for Sharon as they walk into Cedars-Sinai.

"Two," Sharon replies as she wraps her arm around his, "Anna has attending privileges at four hospitals, but the two I scheduled tours at have better facilities, better NICUs. If we went anywhere else I'd be at the mercy of whoever was on call."

"NICU?" Andy questions with a worried tone in his voice as Sharon presses the button to call the elevator.

"Just because we've been lucky up until this point doesn't mean he won't come early or maybe need some help. I want to be in the best place we can be if that happens."

"Shar..."

"I just want to be prepared," Sharon tells Andy with a weak smile before getting into the elevator with him. Andy puts his hand on her back and rubs his thumb back and forth gently.

"No problem with being prepared," Andy says, pressing a kiss to her head as they ride the elevator up to the maternity ward. After finishing their two tours Andy navigates them to a cafe close to the second hospital for lunch, guiding Sharon to an empty table. She takes a seat across from him and sets out the informational folders they had been given, starting to go through the information again.

"What did you think?" Sharon asks.

"Cedars seemed nicer...patient food is definitely better there than the other one," Andy comments, ordering for both of them when the waiter comes over. Sharon looks up at him through narrowed eyes.

"Exactly how many hospitals in LA have you been admitted to?" Sharon asks. Andy looks up at the ceiling as he counts before holding his hand up.

"Five. Though I've only had the cardiac diet at St. Leo's so I can't really comment," Andy grins. Sharon rolls her eyes and smiles back before looking back down at the folders in front of her.

"Cedars is further from the house though."

"There are four distinct routes I can think of in my head. And we can always turn on the sirens if we need to," Andy comments, earning himself another narrow eyed look, "Always a stickler for the rules. Look, let's go with Cedars. Yes it's further from the house, but it's nicer, it's got a better NICU, a lower c-section rate, you seemed to like the staff more there. They seem more willing to follow any plans that we might have."

"You paid attention to all that?"

"Of course," Andy says taking the folders from Sharon and closing them up before taking her hands in his, "I want you to be comfortable and have anything your heart could desire. And if it's between the two hospitals we looked at today I think we should go with Cedars."

"Okay," Sharon smiles, her heart melting a little bit before a twinge of excitement runs through her, "How much longer?"

"Only a few more weeks," Andy smiles and laughs, squeezing her hands.

"I can't wait to meet him," Sharon murmurs, blushing as she looks at Andy.

"Me either," Andy concurs with a wide grin.

* * *

[TBC]


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you to everyone who is reviewing and reading this story!

* * *

"Andy it's just a cold," Sharon assures her husband as she drizzles honey into her cup before pouring hot water in. She coughs and wipes her nose with the tissue in her free hand as she carries her cup into the living room, "I'll be fine."

"I'm worried about you. You've been sick all week and you sound awful," Andy says as he follows her, standing behind the couch as Sharon sits down and stretches out with a yawn.

"I'm going to spend most of the day napping. I talked to the doctor, just rest and fluids," Sharon assures him as she turns the tv on. She looks up at Andy and sighs as she sinks into the couch, "Really. Just go to work. I'll call if anything changes."

"Promise?" Andy asks as he leans over the back of the couch, arching his eyebrow. Sharon nods as she takes a drink of her tea. Andy leans down further and presses a kiss to her forehead, "Alright, I'll call at lunch. I love you."

"I love you too," Sharon smiles. Andy gets his gun and badge before heading out of the house. Sharon yawns again and sighs as she snuggles further into the couch before finding a movie to watch as another set of coughs wrack her chest.

She spends most of the morning lazing on the couch and drifting in and out of sleep before trudging into the kitchen around lunch time. Pickle gives her a pitiful look as he follows her around. Sharon puts some soup on the stove to start heating up before taking Pickle out back, burying a cough in her shoulder as she picks up the patio a bit before tossing a ball across the yard for the dog. She sinks down onto the porch swing and groans as she ends up in another fit of coughs.

Her eyes water as she tries to catch her breath, the coughs continuing to tear their way out her throat. After a couple minutes of persistent coughing and not being able to catch her breath entirely, Sharon pushes herself off the swing and moves inside to the master bathroom. She shuffles through their medicine cabinet quickly, abandoning her search as she feels her breathing start to get shorter. Using the phone in the bedroom she manages to call 911 as her vision starts to fade. She vaguely registers Pickle barking and pawing at her leg, another set of coughs wracking her chest as she passes out on the bed.

* * *

Provenza grumbles as he picks up his phone as it rings on his desk.

"Provenza...what time did the call come in...which hospital...alright, thank you," Provenza hangs up the phone before standing from his desk, putting his suit jacket back on and grabbing his keys. He grabs Andy by the arm as he passes him in the hall, pulling him with him towards the elevator, "You're coming with me."

"We catch a case?" Andy asks as he takes a drink of his coffee to stop it from spilling out of the cup as Provenza tugs him along into an empty elevator car.

"No, I just got a call from dispatch. An EMS unit just picked the Commander up from your house," He tells Andy as he punches the button for the ground floor.

"What?!" Andy yells, "What the hell happened? She was fine when I left this morning."

"She said in the phone call that she was having trouble breathing. Dispatch said they could barely understand her. Passed out when they got to the house. They're taking her to Cedars. That's all I know," Provenza recounts to Andy.

"Jesus Christ, I knew I should have stayed home with her today or at least dragged her to the doctor," Andy groans scrubbing his hand over his face.

"I'm sure she's okay, probably just wheezy from the cold."

"You don't pass out from being wheezy," Andy bites, pacing the small space of the elevator until they're down at the parking garage. His knee bobs up and down as Provenza drives him to Cedars-Sinai, barely waiting for the car to come to a stop before he darts inside the ER and up to the desk.

"What can I help you with?" The nurse at the desk asks, looking up from her computer as Andy comes screeching up.

"My wife was brought in recently, I don't know where she is."

"Name?"

"Flynn, might still be under Raydor."

"One second..." The nurse hums as she types into the computer, cycling through with the enter key a few times before looking up at Andy, "She's being moved to a room right now, it's going to be a few minutes before the info gets sent down."

"Does it say anything about what happened?" Andy asks. The nurse shakes her head with an apologetic frown. Andy sighs and begins to pace again as he waits.

"You know I don't know if I can handle healthy you, you pace too damn much," Provenza grumbles as he finally comes in after parking the car, "What'd they say?"

"She's being moved, they're waiting for the room number to come through in the system," Andy explains as he continues to pace. After a few more minutes of waiting the nurse waves him back over.

"She's up on the eighth floor, room 8124. If you take the elevators just back here you'll be just down the hall from her room. The doctor should still be there to talk to you," The nurse offers with a small smile. Andy thanks her before heading towards the elevators with Provenza. They manage to find Sharon's room relatively quick and Andy pushes his way inside, letting out a slight breath of relief when he sees Sharon curled up in bed on her side, breathing from an oxygen mask.

"Thank god," Andy mumbles as he walks over to the bed, pressing a kiss to Sharon's forehead, "Can't leave you alone for a second, can I?"

Sharon narrows her eyes at him before rolling them. The doctor stands from his position at Sharon's back, tapping gently on her shoulder. She looks away from Andy and casts her eyes over her shoulder.

"You're gonna stay like this for about an hour. Okay?" Sharon nods and lays her head back down, her eyes starting to droop closed. The doctor grabs her chart from the end of the bed before guiding Andy out into the hallway.

"How's she doing, Doc?" Andy asks.

"She's doing better than when EMS found her. From what we can tell the cold turned into a tidge of pneumonia and started causing some fluid build up. Has she been complaining of any shortness of breath or anything like that?"

"Not really complaining," Andy shrugs, "She figured it was just how the baby was sitting."

"There's some fluid built up around her left lung, which is what we're draining now. The coughing and the pneumonia caused an asthma attack which exacerbated the shortness of breath, caused swelling in her esophagus. Kind of a perfect storm of events," The doctor explains as he reads over Sharon's chart before tucking it into the bin by the door, "Her vocal cords are a little raw from everything in addition to the intubation when she was brought in, so it might be a bit before she's able to talk. We're going to keep her here for a couple days at least, make sure the pneumonia starts to clear up and there's no more fluid build up."

"How's the baby doing?"

"Good, heart rate is strong and steady. We have Sharon hooked up to a fetal monitor, just to keep an eye on things," The doctor assures with a smile, "I'll be back in about an hour to check the drain, but press the call button if you need anything before then."

"Thanks, Doc," Andy says, shaking his hand before looking at Provenza as he rubs his neck, "Christ."

"Go sit with her. And I better not see you back in the office the rest of the week. Take care of your wife."

"Thanks," Andy replies, offering a small smile to Provenza as he claps him on the shoulder before heading into the hospital room. He takes his suit jacket off and drapes it over the back of the chair before looking at Sharon's back, wincing at the needle and tubing sticking out, slowly draining amber colored fluid into a jar. He sits down and takes her hand in his, squeezing. Sharon's eyes flutter open and she smiles at him, squeezing his hand back, "How you feeling?"

Sharon lets go of his hand and grabs the marker and small white board laying on the bed next to her, scrawling out her response quickly, _Still breathing_.

"You're a riot," Andy replies with a roll of his eyes at Sharon's grin, "Why didn't you call me if you were feeling worse?"

 _Wasn't. Happened fast._

"And since when do you have asthma?" Andy inquires with a raised eyebrow.

 _High school. Last attack 10 years. Lost inhaler_. Sharon shrugs as she sets the marker down and takes Andy's hand. He presses a kiss to her knuckles before squeezing gently. He sits with her as she closes her eyes again, drifting off until the doctor comes breezing back in an hour later. He removes the tubing from Sharon's back and sets the jar of fluid on a tray before helping her roll onto her back.

"Feeling better?" Sharon nods and smiles.

"Let's see how your lung capacity is doing. Same test as before," The doctor tells Sharon before handing her the mouth piece of the spirometer. Sharon takes off the oxygen mask before putting the mouth piece in her mouth and inhaling.

"Good, much better than earlier," The doctor comments with a smile, taking the spirometer back, "I'm going to get out of your hair for a while, but the nurses will be popping in to keep an eye on your capacity and make sure the fluid isn't building up again. Your obstetrician is scrubbed in on a delivery right now, but she said she'd stop down once she was available. Sound good?"

Sharon nods as she shifts her position on the bed trying to get comfortable. Andy thanks the doctor before looking at his watch. He sits down on the edge of the bed and rests his hand on her stomach with a smile.

"I'm guessing you didn't get around to eating lunch?" Sharon shakes her head and scribbles across the board.

 _I'm starving!_

"Why don't I go home, pick up some stuff, check on the dog, and grab some lunch for us, okay?" Sharon nods eagerly with a smile. Andy presses a kiss to her head before standing up, "Try to keep yourself out of trouble until I get back." Sharon rolls her eyes before settling back into her pillows with a small cough.

Andy returns to the hospital an hour later with a to-go bag from their favorite deli and a tote bag for Sharon, having changed into jeans and a t-shirt himself. He sets the bag of food on the table before setting her tote bag on the bed.

"Alright so, I've got tomato basil soup and a green tea from the deli. I picked up some clothes, your book, glasses, and some honey suckers."

"Thank you," Sharon manages to croak out, wincing from the residual pain. She uses the buttons to move her bed into more of a sitting position. Andy moves the table closer handing over her drink before getting a spoon out of the bag for her.

"Maybe we should stick to the whiteboard for a little longer?" Andy smiles and sits down next to the bed with his own sandwich and drink. Sharon shrugs with a smile as she starts to eat. She makes her way through the bowl of soup and the latte before setting the left over trash on the table.

"I think the hot food helped," Sharon says, a few less breaks in her speech as she looks over at Andy, reaching out to take his hand with a soft sigh. Andy squeezes her hand as he bags up their trash before putting his feet up on the bed next to her.

"How you feeling?"

"Better," Sharon murmurs quietly, turning on her side to face him. She lets out a couple light coughs, rubbing her runny nose. Andy grabs a tissue before handing it to her, "Thanks."

The two sit in a compatible silence for a while before Anna comes in, dressed in scrubs and wheeling an ultrasound machine. She squirts some hand sanitizer into her palm and rubs her hands together as she smiles at Sharon.

"How are you feeling?" Anna asks as she grabs Sharon's chart, scanning it over, "Seems like they're dealing with the pulmonary symptoms well."

"Seen better days," Sharon admits, sitting up a little bit as she rolls onto her back.

"You sound awful, a lot worse than when I saw to you the other day," The doctor comments as she puts Sharon's chart back down.

"Pretty recent development," Sharon comments. Anna grabs the print out from the fetal monitor and reads for a few moments before letting it go and turning the machine off. Andy gets up to move out of the way, continuing to hold onto Sharon's hand.

"Is he doing okay?" Andy asks, concerned.

"Yeah, his heart rate is fine, I just want to check everything out," Anna assures him before starting to take off the fetal monitors wrapped around Sharon. She smoothes her hands over Sharon's belly, palpating on occasion, feeling a couple presses back against her prodding hands, "He awake right now?"

"Mmhm," Sharon nods with a smile.

"Probably not happy I'm pressing all over him," Anna smiles before pulling the ultrasound over. She does a quick ultrasound before hanging up the wand, "So, everything is fine, he's not in any distress, heart rate is still strong, he's moving around."

"But?" Andy raises his eyebrow.

"He's breech," Anna explains, "If this were a few weeks ago, I wouldn't be too concerned. But we're entering the home stretch and any labor is going to be _the_ labor."

"What does that mean? She'd have to have a c-section?" Andy inquires as he sits on the other side of the bed.

"Not necessarily, we can try to rotate him manually. It would actually be good to do now while you're admitted."

"What do you do?" Sharon asks, wrapping her hands protectively over her stomach.

"Based on how he's positioned we just use force to guide him into a head down position. It's slow, we keep both of you monitored, it's minimal risk. There's a chance he could flip back around once we move him, but at that point we might just want to discuss doing a cesarean," Anna explains, "It's nothing you have to decide now, I want you to focus on getting better from all of this. And if you want to do it we can do it before you're discharged."

"Okay," Sharon nods. Anna straps her back into the monitors before turning the machine back on.

"I am out of here for the rest of the evening, but your attending has my number if anything comes up. I'll swing by on my way into the office tomorrow and see how things are going hmm?"

"Sounds good. Thank you for taking the time to come by."

"Lucky for you you're my favorite patient," Anna smiles, making a couple notes in Sharon's chart before putting it away, bidding them a good evening. Sharon looks up at Andy after she leaves.

"Your son is stubborn," Sharon tells him with a small smile.

"I wonder who he gets that from," Andy winks before taking his seat beside the bed again, "Get some rest, alright?"

"I give the orders," Sharon reminds him, as she takes his hand once again, her eyes starting to drift closed.

* * *

By the time the doctors were satisfied with how Sharon's pneumonia and cold were clearing up she had been in the hospital for an entire week. Andy had spent most of his time at the hospital, only leaving to go home and shower or get them food. And even then he made sure someone sat with her, rotating between Rusty, Gavin, and Andrea.

Sharon was finally getting ready to be discharged after getting cleared by the pulmonologist as well as her obstetrician. She'd happily showered and washed the hospital feel off of her before dressing in her own clothes for the first time since she'd been admitted. She was itching to get out and get home, back into her own surroundings.

Sharon slaps Andy's hand away as he reaches out to straighten the hood on her sweatshirt, fixing him with a narrow eyed look.

"Andy, I swear, if one more person touches me today, I'm going to lose it," Sharon tells him before pushing herself into a standing position and straightening out the hood herself after flicking her hair out from underneath the collar. Andy holds his hands up with an apologetic look before picking up her bag. Sharon sighs and slips her glasses on before following him out of the room and towards the elevator.

"We'll have to go by the pharmacy on the way home to pick up your prescriptions, do you want to stop anywhere else?" Andy asks as he presses the down button. Sharon shakes her head quietly as they wait, not speaking until they're at the car and Andy opens her door for her.

"Thank you," Sharon murmurs before getting inside. Andy stops at the pharmacy on their way home to pick up Sharon's prescriptions, handing her the bag when he gets back in the car. She opens the paper bag and checks the things inside as Andy finishes their trip home. Once inside Sharon greets Pickle with a smile and a ruffle of his ears.

"You want anything for lunch?" Andy asks as he shuts the door behind himself, setting Sharon's bag down.

"No, I'm not really hungry," Sharon says as she rifles through her bag, pulling out her book, "I'm going to go read in the bedroom."

"Is everything okay?" Andy asks, stopping Sharon before she can disappear down the hall.

"I have been poked and prodded almost every waking hour of the last week. I've barely been able to go to the bathroom alone. All I want to do is get in my bed and read, alone. Just for a couple hours," Sharon says, pulling her hand away and curling it around the book in her arms, "I appreciate everything that you've done while I've been in the hospital. I do, really. I just need a little time alone."

"Okay," Andy nods, "Let me know if you need anything."

"I will," Sharon offers a small smile before disappearing down the hallway. Andy sighs and looks down at Pickle.

"Come on, let's go outside," Andy encourages as he walks towards the back door.

* * *

[TBC]


	14. Chapter 14

Sharon looks over as Andy's phone rings as they sit in the waiting room. Andy sighs and fishes the phone out of his pocket, answering it. He has a short conversation before hanging up and putting his phone in his pocket. He looks over at Sharon with a frustrated sigh.

"Case?" Sharon asks, squeezing Andy's hand.

"Yeah."

"Go, I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Andy asks, not wanting to leave her alone. Sharon nods and smiles, smoothing a hand over her belly.

"It's going to be the exact same appointment as the one last week, and the week before that."

"I'll call Rusty to come pick you up," Andy says as he stands.

"You don't have to. I can walk the couple blocks to work, wait for you guys to get back. I could use the chance to stretch my legs, and I have some paperwork at HR that I need to do anyway."

"You sure?" Andy asks, concern flooding his face. Sharon nods with a reassuring smile, looking over as a nurse comes out and calls her name. She pushes herself up and leans up on her toes to kiss Andy.

"Go to work, I'll see you when you get back from the scene."

"Aye, aye," Andy smiles, giving her one more kiss before heading in the opposite direction as her. Sharon follows the nurse back to the exam area. After walking through the usual initial steps the nurse has Sharon change and wait for the doctor. Sharon changes into the gown provided and sits on the edge of the table, swinging her legs back and forth as she rests her hands on her belly. She looks up as Anna comes in, smiling.

"Hi."

"Hi, how are you doing?"

"Still pregnant," Sharon smiles. Anna laughs and takes a quick scan over Sharon's chart before stepping closer to the examination table.

"How long has it been since the baby dropped?"

"A couple days," Sharon comments as she shuffles back on the table a little bit and lies back, "My entire shape has changed."

"You did have him quite tucked in there," Anna comments as she starts her examination. Sharon closes her eyes and rolls her neck with a soft sigh as she sits quietly. After a few minutes the doctor snaps off her gloves and tosses them in the bin before washing her hands, "You are starting to dilate, you're at about two centimeters now. So that's good."

"It's not too early?"

"Not with where we were measuring the baby's weight last time," Anna comments as she wheels over the ultrasound machine, "I'd like to see where we are today, but I'm thinking that we might be leaning towards induction by the end of the week."

"Induction?" Sharon asks as the doctor squirts a line of gel across her stomach. Anna nods as she starts to move the wand around, taking measurements as she goes.

"At the end of your pregnancy the baby theoretically gains about an ounce a day. With how he is positioned and your hip structure I'd like to see him out sooner rather than later. There's a few things we can do to jog labor especially now that you're dilating. Luckily Mister Stubborn here seems to have taken to his head down position. And since you've dropped I don't think we need to worry about him going breech again," Anna says with a reassuring smile before finishing the ultrasound. She reviews a captures she had taken before turning to give Sharon her full attention.

"So, right now I'm estimating that the baby is sitting around eight. To give you a little point of reference, I generally have a deviation of plus or minus a quarter pound. By Friday, at the rate he's gaining weight I'd say we can expect him to sit at nine," The doctor explains, "I can do a couple things for you today that can prompt a hormonal reaction that will start the labor process. They also might not. So secondarily I want to schedule you into the hospital on Friday if nothing's happened before then, and we at least start some medication. Some women that's enough to get them going, some need it longer than that."

"No c-section?"

"No, it would be a very last ditch effort," Anna assures her. Sharon sighs as she rubs her belly, leaning her head back for a moment before nodding.

"Okay."

"Alright, I'm going to have the nurse come in and prep you and I'll be right back, okay?" Sharon nods with a smile. Anna smiles back and squeezes her shoulder before leaving the room.

* * *

"Hey," Andy calls, standing from his desk as Sharon comes into the murder room. The redhead offers waves and greetings at the other members of their team before moving to Andy's desk. He leans down and presses a kiss to her lips before smiling at her, "I was worried when we managed to beat you back here."

"Appointment took a little longer today and I just finished up the last of my paperwork," Sharon smiles.

"How did it go?"

"Good. Baby's big, still head down," Sharon tells him as she leans against the edge of his desk, "If nothing happens this week, they're going to induce me on Friday."

"Induce you?" Andy asks with a tinge of worry, taking his seat again. Sharon nods and runs a hand through his hair.

"It's nothing to worry about, everything is fine, she just doesn't want him getting too big," Sharon assures him with a small grin, "Which is not something I want either. But it would be nice if you could put in your leave request?"

"I'll take care of it today," Andy tells her. He leans over and presses a kiss to her belly.

"Keys, please?" Sharon asks, holding her hand out.

"I can take you. I was going to head to that part of town anyway."

"You sure?" Sharon asks.

"Yeah," Andy smiles standing up and holding his arm out to her, "Shall we?"

Sharon smiles and wraps her arm around Andy's following him towards the elevator. She rubs her hand along her back as they ride down to the parking garage. Andy drives Sharon home and parks the car in the drive way, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Call me if anything changes?"

"Of course. Thanks for the ride, handsome," Sharon winks with a smile before getting out of the car and heading inside.

* * *

"Hello, hello? Gift and lunch brigade is here," Emily calls as she opens the door to the house, leaving it open for Patrick who had an arm full of boxes and bags. Sharon looks over the back of the couch as Pickle hops up on his hind legs to look as well.

"What are you two doing here? I thought you weren't able to get away until the weekend."

"We managed to escape for a couple hours. We brought lunch and all of our Christmas presents," Emily says as Patrick leans down to put the presents under the tree. She drops their lunch bags on the coffee table, "How are you?"

"Beached," Sharon comments as Pickle climbs over her stomach before curling up on her chest.

"No offense, but you are huge," Emily grins and winks at her mother as she begins unpacking lunch, "Any clue when he's getting here?"

"If the doctor has anything to say about it, Friday," Sharon comments as she shifts Pickle back down to her lap and sits up, letting Patrick take the seat on the couch next to her as Emily sits on the floor. She holds a to-go container out to her mom before handing another one to her boyfriend.

"Friday?" Sharon nods as she takes a bite out of the sandwich Emily had brought her. She holds a finger up as she chews, starting to talk once she swallows.

"The doctor's just concerned about the baby getting too big, so unless I go into labor by Friday they're going to induce me," Sharon explains before taking another bite.

"Like a c-section or…" Sharon shoots her daughter a glare as she east and Emily laughs holding up her hands, "I'll wait until you're done eating."

The three finish their lunch in relative silence and Emily starts to clear all of the boxes away, looking pointedly at her mother.

"It's not a c-section, it's a drug. As long as it works everything goes on as normal, a c-section would be a last resort if the medication doesn't work."

"But everything's okay right?"

"Everything's fine, your brother is just a little chunky," Sharon smiles.

"We have two performances on Friday, but call me when you get to the hospital and we can come over after the last one."

"You don't have to come, it's just a lot of sitting around and waiting."

"I want to. I want to be there for you, Andy, and the baby," Emily assures her mother, taking everything to the trash can in the kitchen. Pickle hops down and trots over to the back door, plopping his butt down and looking up at Emily, "Mom, can he go out in the yard?"

"Yeah, just leave the door open a crack so he can get back in," Sharon calls out. Emily comes back after letting Pickle out and drops onto Patrick's lap, "How are rehearsals going?"

"Good, we have it tight, just need to get through the performances over the weekend. And then I'm all yours until after the new year," Emily smiles, "You don't mind us staying do you? We can always get a hotel room."

"Not at all, it's the holidays. It'll be great to have you here," Sharon assures Emily with a smile.

"Have you talked to Ricky lately?" Emily asks.

"A little bit, few days ago. He said he's not going to be able to make it down until Christmas Eve morning. They're trying to get some updates rolled out before a shutdown or something," Sharon says, waving her hand, "You know how technical your brother gets when he gets excited."

"Oh I do," Emily smiles. Patrick squeezes her hip before looking between both of the women.

"Why don't we go take a walk? It's pretty warm out today, I'm sure you'd like to get out of the house, Sharon."

"I would, that does sound nice."

"See that's why I love you, you're so thoughtful," Emily smiles as she kisses Patrick's cheek before standing up.

"Would you get Pickle? His leash should be hanging next to the door," Sharon asks. Emily nods and heads for the back door, calling for Pickle. Patrick stands up and offers his hands out to Sharon, pulling her into a standing position.

"Thank you," Sharon smiles.

"No problem. My little sister is five, so I've been through a lot of this already."

"Really?" Sharon asks as she walks over to the door, slipping a pair of shoes on. Patrick nods and holds out a jacket for her.

"Yeah, my mom got remarried after my dad died when I was in high school. They had me at a pretty young age so when my stepdad wanted to have more kids they were lucky to be able to. Though they decided one was enough after Belle was born, she's a handful."

"Are you going to see your family for Christmas?"

"We generally do Christmas at Thanksgiving. Enough factions of family get together for that holiday, it's easier to do it then then try and get everyone together a second time," Patrick explains as he opens the front door. Emily brings Pickle through and follows the two of them out the door, "Besides my mom was beside herself at the thought of me going to spend a holiday with my girlfriend's family. That I might actually be settling down."

"Nothing like good old fashioned Catholic mom guilt," Sharon smiles as they walk.

"She lays it on thick some times, but I know she has my best interests at heart," Patrick smiles.

* * *

[TBC]


	15. Chapter 15

Finally, the big event!

* * *

By the time Thursday evening had rolled around, there was no baby and Sharon hadn't seen much of Andy due to the case the team had caught earlier in the week. She sighs as she folds up some of Andy's clothes, putting together their bags for the hospital. Her ear perks up as she hears the front door open and close. Sharon zips up the small suitcase on the bed and carries it down the hallway, smiling as she sees Andy. She sets the bag down next to the carseat waiting by the front door before pressing a kiss to his lips.

"I was worried you'd decided to make a run for it," Sharon teases before gesturing to the take out containers in his hands, "What's this?"

"Date night to-go," Andy replies, handing her the bags before dipping back out to the porch and grabbing a bouquet of flowers before shutting the door. He takes the bags from her again and hands her the flowers, "For you."

"Thank you," Sharon smiles, smelling the flowers before following Andy to the kitchen.

"I figured since tonight is our last night alone for a while, we could have a date night," Andy says as he begins to unpack their food, "And I was hoping I was gonna get home early enough to talk you into dinner out, but I got held up at work so I thought I could bring dinner to you. I picked up dinner from Serve and dessert from that little bakery, and I even grabbed a movie."

"This all looks great," Sharon comments with a smile, grabbing down a couple plates for their dinner. She puts water in a vase before unwrapping the flowers and putting them inside. She sets the vase on the table and presses a kiss to Andy's lips, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Andy smiles, carrying their plates into the living room. Sharon grabs them each something to drink and follows him. Andy puts the movie in and gets it started before sinking down onto the couch with Sharon, grabbing his own plate.

"You know I think this tastes even better eating it on the couch," Sharon comments as she leans against Andy.

"Mmm it does," Andy agrees.

After dinner and a movie Andy cleans up their dishes and leftovers before turning the light off in the kitchen. He offers a hand out to Sharon to help her off the couch before pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Anything else we need for tomorrow?"

"I don't think so. I packed some stuff for you, some stuff for me, his stuff. Should be able to survive at the hospital for a couple days," Sharon smiles pressing her lips to Andy's again, "So, why don't you take me to bed Mr. Flynn?"

"Sounds like a plan, Mrs. Flynn," Andy smiles before walking Sharon down the hallway towards their bedroom. Sharon presses her lips to his in a deep kiss as her fingers work on unbuttoning his shirt before kicking the door shut with her foot.

* * *

Sharon groans as she feels Pickle climbing over her before starting to lick at her face.

"What do you want?" Sharon murmurs as she reaches up to push him out of the way. Pickle licks her face again and taps his paw against her. Sharon grumbles and shoves him gently off the bed before looking at her alarm clock. She sighs and swings her legs over the side of the bed before getting up. She pulls on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before following Pickle out of the room.

"How come you never bother Andy? Hmm?" She asks the dog as she stuffs her feet into her Uggs and grabs his leash. Pickle looks up at her with an innocent face as he tilts his head. Sharon groans as she squats down to hook him into his leash before shrugging on a sweater and heading out the front door. Sharon treats Pickle to a couple laps around the block before she heads towards home, leading him up the walk.

"Come on, time to go inside. I'm freezing and my back hurts," Sharon grumbles as she opens the door, letting him inside before closing and locking it behind her. She hangs up her sweater and kicks off her shoes before squatting down again to get Pickle out of his leash and harness. Sharon gasps as she feels a pop and a gush of fluid down her legs, soaking her pants.

"Crap," Sharon curses as she pushes herself back into a standing position with a groan, rubbing a hand along the side of her stomach with a whimper. She makes her way down the hallway at a slow pace before moving back into the bedroom. She shakes Andy's shoulder gently, trying to wake him up. Andy grunts and rolls away from her, burying his face in his pillow.

"Andy!" Sharon says, reaching her hand out again to shake him, moving a little rougher this time. Andy grumbles as he cracks an eye open, catching the numbers on Sharon's alarm clock.

"Wha? Is like three in the morning," Andy rasps, closing his eyes again.

"Andy, you need to get up." "No," Andy answers, reaching up and pulling on her hand, "You needa get back in bed."

"No, we need to go," Sharon huffs, rolling her eyes.

"Nuh uh, not yet." Sharon sighs and sits on the edge of the bed, running her fingers through Andy's hair and pressing a kiss to his temple.

"Andy, darling, love of my life," She murmurs into his ear before digging her nails into his bare shoulder, "You need to get up now. My water broke."

"Ow! Shit Sharon, I'm trying to sle...wait what?" Andy says as he rolls over, sitting up. He rubs his hand over his eyes as she turns on the bedside light.

"My water broke," Sharon repeats as she gets out of bed and goes to her dresser to grab dry clothes to change into.

"Ah crap," Andy mumbles as he yawns, "Kid couldn't have waited a few more hours?"

"I believe that's your stubbornness showing through," Sharon comments as she grabs the edge of the dresser, her knuckles turning white for a moment before she lets go. She changes into the new clothes and grabs her cardigan off the chair, wrapping it around herself as she waits for Andy to get dressed. He dresses quickly in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before sitting down to put his socks on as he yawns. They both shuffle down the hallway and Sharon puts Pickle in his kennel before stuffing her feet back into her Uggs. Andy slides on some loafers, picking up the carseat and the bag that Sharon had packed the night before.

"That everything?" Andy asks. Sharon nods and hands him the car keys, "Alright, let's go have a baby."

* * *

"How you doing?" Andy asks as he sits next to the bath tub Sharon was soaking in. He runs his fingers through her hair, brushing it away from her face as she lets out a long groan.

"Seriously contemplating never letting you in my pants ever again," Sharon murmurs. Andy smiles and presses a kiss to her head before running his hand through the water. Sharon grabs onto his hand and squeezes tight as her eyes close, "What time is it?"

"Little after noon. Water's getting cold. You wanna get out?"

"I think so," Sharon nods. Andy helps her up and out of the tub before drying her off. She leans into Andy and drops her head to his shoulder as she gasps. Andy rubs his hand along her side, massaging her belly gently.

"Breathe, Shar," Andy reminds Sharon gently. Sharon nods and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Andy helps her into her robe before walking her back out to the room. Sharon takes a seat on the side of the bed, leaning back on her hands as she drops her head back. Andy stands on the other side of the bed and reaches out, massaging her shoulders gently, "Anything I can do for you?"

"Walk me to the surgical ward. I want this to be over," Sharon laments as she moans. Andy presses a kiss to her shoulder before nudging her to sit up. He climbs onto the bed behind her and begins to massage her back. Sharon hums and leans into his touch, dropping her head back against his shoulder.

"You're doing great," He assures her with a quiet voice.

"I feel terrible," Sharon murmurs, closing her eyes against a barrage of tears.

"I know it's been a long day," Andy replies stopping his massage to wrap his arms around her, holding her close, "But you're doing great. He's going to be here before you know it."

"I know," Sharon whimpers. Andy holds her for a while longer before Anna knocks on the door and pokes her head in.

"How are we doing?" She inquires as she washes her hands before looking over Sharon's chart.

"I could stand speeding this up a bit," Sharon replies, discomfort flitting across her face.

"Let's see how things are going," Anna tells them before starting to look Sharon over. Andy holds Sharon's hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles as he continues to sit behind her. After a few minutes Anna snaps her gloves off before walking over to the fetal monitor.

"You're doing good, his heart rate is still up," She comments as she reads the monitor read outs, "You're sitting at about a six right now, contractions getting closer together."

"How much longer?"

"I wish I could tell you," Anna says as she makes some notes on Sharon's chart, "You were in labor with Emily all day, Ricky was less, and it's been quite a long time between then and now. We're just going to have to wait and see. I've got a couple rounds to make, but I'll be back to check on you soon."

"Okay, thanks," Sharon says, her replied muffled by her hands scrubbing over her face trying to stop herself from breaking down. Anna squeezes Andy's arm supportively on the way out. Sharon groans and moves away from Andy to lay on the bed properly, curling up on her side as she stuffs a pillow between her legs. Andy rests his hand on her hip and rubs back and forth gently.

"What can I do for you?"

"Will you go get me some juice?"

"Sure, any particular kind?" Andy asks. Sharon shakes her head. Andy presses a kiss to her forehead before standing up, "I'll be back in a few minutes then."

"Thank you," Sharon murmurs. Andy moves out of the room and Sharon curls up, burying her face in her pillow before starting to cry. Andy comes back fifteen minutes later with a couple bottles of juice and a large cup of ice in his hands. He sets the juice and ice down on the table over her bed before stroking her hair back from her face to see she had fallen asleep. Sharon turns her head into Andy's hand and her eyes open slightly.

"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you," Andy murmurs, "You need the rest."

"It's okay," Sharon murmurs, wiping the moisture from her face before sitting up properly and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, "How about a walk?"

"Sure," Andy nods, holding Sharon's robe out for her before wrapping his arm around her waist, walking her out to the corridor. She leans into Andy as they wander slowly through the hallway, letting her eyes drift closed.

"My eyes are closed so I'm relying on you not to run us into a wall," Sharon murmurs. Andy chuckles as he rubs her hip.

"Yes ma'am," Andy replies as he presses a kiss to her head. They walk quietly for a few minutes before they round the corner to go back to their room. Andy squeezes Sharon's hip as he guides her back into the room, "You okay?"

"Yeah...just overwhelmed," Sharon replies quietly as she gets back in bed. She groans as she rubs her hand over her forehead.

"I know," Andy says as he sits down next to the bed taking her hand, "I wish I could get this to go faster for you."

"Did you get my juice?" Sharon asks with a small voice. Andy smiles and nods, grabbing one of the bottles.

"Yes, I got your juice."

* * *

"I know it's been a long day, but I am so proud of you already," Andy murmurs as he wipes a cool rag over Sharon's forehead, dabbing it across her hairline.

"Don't make me cry right now," Sharon whimpers as she sinks back tears rolling down her face. She lets her legs drop from her grasp, scrubbing her fingers over her face as she pants softly.

"You're doing great, you're almost there."

"I can't do it," Sharon shakes her head.

"Yes you can, just a couple more pushes and he's going to be here," Andy assures her, brushing her hair back from her face, "Just a couple more."

"You said that an hour ago," Sharon points out, grabbing her knees as she bears down again, crying out almost immediately.

"Keep going, we're almost there," The doctor encourages as she moves in closer to the bed. Sharon sobs as she takes another deep breath, bearing down again, "Hold it, hold, hold, hold, there we go, shoulders out!"

"One more push," Andy tells Sharon, holding onto her hand.

"I swear to god if you're lying...," Sharon growls as she digs her nails into Andy's hand with her jaw set in determination. Andy winces as she digs her nails in while she cries out as she gives one last big push, letting out a sob of relief as the doctor grabs the baby, handing him up to her. He shakes out his hand as Sharon grabs the baby, laying him across the towel draped over her belly and chest, starting to clean him off, a new round of tears starting as he cries angrily.

"You did it," Andy whispers as he presses a kiss to Sharon's temple, reaching out his hand to help her clean the baby off. A nurse comes over and replaces the dirty towel with a clean one once she's finished and Sharon cradles him closer, shushing him gently.

"Oh my god," Sharon whimpers as she looks at him, taking in his head full of red hair and deep brown eyes, face screwed up in anger. She lays him directly across her skin as she holds him close, pressing a kiss to his head as she redrapes the warm towel across his back, "You are so perfect."

"Hey buddy," Andy says, reaching out and stroking his hand over his son's head, ruffling up his sticky hair. He rests his hand over Sharon's, smiling at her as he squeezes her hand. The baby's cries quickly quiet as he curls up on his mother's chest. Sharon nuzzles her nose against the crown of his head as she closes her own eyes, relishing the feel of him against her.

"You're here," Sharon whispers as she holds him close, her hand rubbing up and down his back gently. Andy covers her hand with his own, noticing her hand shaking slightly.

"He's amazing," Andy whispers into her ear.

"He's ours," Sharon replies, equally quiet. They both sit and marvel over the baby as the doctor and nurses continue to finish the delivery. Sharon's hand begins to shake more as she turns her head towards Andy. He pulls his eyes away from his son, noticing her ashen appearance.

"Sharon?"

"I don't f-f-feel so good," Sharon whispers, her bottom lip quivering as her eyes become unfocused. Andy frowns and reaches up to cup her cheek as a monitor starts to go off behind him.

"BP is dropping!" A nurse calls out.

"Sharon!" Andy calls out as Sharon's eyes slip closed. He looks at Anna, finally noticing the amount of blood starting to stain the bed.

"Get him out of here!" Anna yells out, flipping her hand at Andy, "And someone grab the baby."

Andy barely manages to make a sound as he's shoved out into the hallway and the door to the room is slammed shut behind him.

* * *

[TBC]


	16. Chapter 16

Andy paces the small amount of hallway in front of Sharon's room as he waits for someone to come out and tell him something. After half an hour he sinks into a chair and buries his head in his hands as his legs bounce nervously. Once he hears the door finally open he practically springs out of his chair as Anna comes out.

"What's going on?"

"Bleeding," Anna says as she stands across from Andy, "She lost a lot of blood. It was touch and go for a bit but she's stable and we have everything under control. We're giving her a transfusion and some fluids and we're going to move her to a different room here in a few minutes."

"What happened? She was fine all day."

"It happens after the placenta detaches," Anna explains, "If the contractions don't continue strong enough then things don't clot up and you bleed. Usually we can stop it quick enough, but sometimes stuff like this happens. We'll keep an eye on her the next couple days. Generally once we stop everything we're good, but if she starts bleeding again we might need to jump to more drastic solutions. But we'll cross that bridge if we come to it."

"Oh my god," Andy says, rubbing his hand over his face. Anna squeezes Andy's arm supportively before letting go.

"I'm going to get back in there and make sure everything's wrapping up fine. If you want to go down to room 9032, a nurse is going to bring the baby down, and we should have Sharon brought down in the next 10 minutes or so. It's just down the hall in the corner there," Anna indicates. Andy nods and stuffs his hands in his pockets before heading down the hall. He turns the light on as he walks into the room, trying to swallow over the lump in his throat as he sinks down onto the empty bed.

A couple minutes later a nurse wheels in a bassinet and situates it next to the bed. Andy stands up and steps closer, peering down at the sleeping baby inside. Red hair was peeking out from underneath the blue cap on his head and he was bundled up tight in a white receiving blanket.

"How's he doing?" Andy asks quietly, reaching down to stroke his son's cheek.

"Good. Nine pounds, three ounces. Nineteen inches long," The nurse reads off as she fills out the card to be put on the end of the bassinet, "Did you guys have a name picked out?"

"Oliver," Andy replies, looking up at the nurse, "Oliver Louis Flynn."

"I think that will fit him just great," The nurse comments, smiling as she finishes the card before slipping it into the holder, "We gave him a small bottle to tie him over. It'll probably be a couple hours before your wife wakes up. You can press the call button if you need anything, but a nurse will be by every couple hours to check on things. Do you need anything right now?"

"I don't think so," Andy replies as he shakes his head.

"Okay, congratulations," The nurse smiles before leaving Andy and Oliver alone. Andy reaches down and lifts Oliver up, cradling him in his arms.

"Hey bubba," Andy whispers as he paces the room with Oliver. After a few more minutes a set of orderlies come in and remove the bed in the room before Sharon's bed is wheeled in and parked in the old bed's spot. The nurses focus on getting her hooked back up to the proper monitors and hanging her IVs as Anna fills out her chart. Once she finishes she walks over to Andy, resting her hands on her hips as she watches him sway back and forth with Oliver.

"How is he?"

"Good," Andy smiles, "Perfect."

"Good," Anna smiles back, "It's going to be a couple hours before she wakes up. I have some paperwork to fill out, so I'm going to be around a while longer. I'll come check on everything before I leave for the night and I'll bring the overnight attending with me so you can meet him. If you need anything before then..."

"Press the call button," Andy finishes.

"Exactly," Anna nods. The staff clears out of the room, pulling the door shut behind themselves. Andy pulls the chair closer to Sharon's bed, putting his feet up as he rests Oliver against his chest. He presses a soft kiss to his head, letting out a long sigh as he closes his eyes.

A couple hours later he jumps as he hears Sharon start with a gasp. Her eyes snap open and her hands fly to her stomach, panic flooding her face as she feels soft flesh. Andy sits up and takes his legs down as he grabs her hand, leaning over the bed.

"Hey, relax," Andy whispers as he squeezes her hand, "Everything's okay."

"What happened?" Sharon croaks, wrinkling her nose and reaching up to scratch at the cannula in her nose.

"You were bleeding after he came out, they had to give you a transfusion," Andy says, indicating the almost empty packet of blood hanging on her IV pole. Sharon sighs and sinks back into her pillows, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"Is he okay?"

"He's perfect," Andy says as he stands up. He shifts his hold on Oliver before dropping him into Sharon's arms. She smiles as she looks at him, her fingers stroking gently over his cheek as her tired eyes take him in.

"Oh my beautiful boy," Sharon murmurs quietly as tears fill her eyes, "My sweet beautiful boy."

Andy sits on the edge of the bed and wraps his arm around Sharon's shoulder as he presses a kiss to her temple. Sharon looks up at him and smiles broadly, her green eyes sparkling. Andy smiles back and kisses her gently.

"I love you, Sharon," Andy says, reaching up to stroke her cheek. Sharon leans into his touch and presses a kiss to his palm.

"I love you too," Sharon smiles, "Thank you for everything today. You were amazing."

"So were you," Andy smiles, looking down as Oliver yawns and opens his eyes, looking up at his parents for a moment before his tiny nose wrinkles and he lets out a small cry. Sharon tears her eyes away from Andy and looks down at Oliver, patting his back gently.

"What's all that about Mr. Oliver?"

"He's probably hungry," Andy says as he looks at his watch, "The nurse said they gave him a small bottle before they brought him down a couple hours ago, but otherwise he hasn't eaten."

"Well then yes, you probably are hungry," Sharon says as she brings her knees up with a wince, resting Oliver against her thighs. She unwraps his swaddle, wincing again as he lets out a louder cry, "Definitely have your father's lung capacity."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Andy grins. Sharon lets out a small laugh as she gestures to the shoulder opening of her hospital gown.

"Give me a hand?" She asks Andy. Andy nods and undoes the snaps for her. Sharon lifts Oliver back into her arms and settles him at her breast before tucking his blanket back around him. She straightens her legs back out and sinks back into the pillows and Andy's side.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of looking at him," Sharon comments as she watches Oliver as he tucks in hungrily.

"We did pretty good," Andy replies, resting his cheek against the top of Sharon's head. They sit quietly for a few minutes before Andy speaks again, "I never thought I could lose you. There was so much blood. And that's when I left, they were in there for another half hour."

"I'm here," Sharon says as she looks up at Andy, a tired smile on her lips, "I'll always be here."

"I don't know what I would do with out you," Andy murmurs as he presses a kiss to Sharon's forehead.

"You'll never have to find out," Sharon replies, shifting her head and kissing him softly. She rests her head back on his shoulder and sighs, "Tell me about our boy."

"He is nine pounds, three ounces. Nineteen inches long. Official time of birth was 9:37 pm December 2nd. Ten fingers, ten toes, counted them myself."

"Sounds absolutely perfect," Sharon murmurs, looking up as a soft knock sounds on the door before Anna pokes her head in. The doctor smiles before opening the door further and walking in with another doctor.

"How are you doing sleeping beauty?"

"All ready to go back to sleep," Sharon replies, fatigue already starting to set in.

"You're probably going to feel like that for a while," Anna comments as she starts to check Sharon over.

* * *

Sharon stretches out and yawns as she hears a knock on the door. She rubs her eye as she looks around the room, spotting Andy sitting up in the chair next to her bed fast asleep with a lump on his chest under a fluffy blue blanket that she assumed was Oliver based on the tuft of red hair sticking out of the top. She smiles before sitting up a little bit.

"Come in," She calls out quietly, looking over as Patrice and Provenza come in. Provenza hands Sharon a bouquet of flowers with an 'It's a Girl' balloon tied onto them. Sharon laughs and thanks him, setting the flowers off to the side.

"Where's the little guy at?" Provenza asks. Sharon indicates Andy in the chair with a smile as she rubs the sleep out of her eyes. She reaches over and squeezes his leg.

"Andy...Honey," Sharon says as she shakes his leg slightly. Andy grunts as his head lifts slightly, a deep yawn on his lips as his hand curls around Oliver a little tighter. He reaches up with his free hand and rubs his eyes as he blinks heavily a few times. He sits up a little more as he notices their guests, smiling tiredly.

"Hey guys."

"Well let's see him," Provenza prods. Patrice rolls her eyes with a smile as Andy shifts his grip on Oliver, wrapping him up in the blanket he'd been laying under. He lays him into the crook of his arm and holds him up to introduce him.

"This is Oliver Louis Flynn," Andy says, smiling proudly, throwing a knowing wink in Provenza's direction.

"He's adorable, Sharon," Patrice comments as she looks at Sharon. Sharon smiles and nods in agreement.

"We're quite partial to him ourselves," She replies, laughing softly. Provenza scratches the back of his neck as he looks at the baby in Andy's arms.

"So..umm…"

"It was Sharon's idea…something about you dying soon so we should probably honor your memory," Andy jokes. Sharon rolls her eyes as Andy teases his partner. Andy stands up and puts Oliver in the older man's arms, "You've been a good friend to me over the years, and I probably wouldn't have gotten here without some of your delicate kicks to my ass. So, hold your name sake for a minute, and for the love of god don't drop him."

"Who could drop little Louie?" Provenza inquires to Oliver, in a voice strictly reserved for his grandchildren on a good day. The baby yawns and opens his eyes a little, his tongue peaking out from between his lips. Patrice smiles as she watches her husband before looking at Sharon.

"How did everything go?"

"It left something to be desired," Sharon replies as she pushes herself into more of a sitting position with a wince, "We were supposed to be here at nine yesterday for an induction. I took the dog out at three and my water broke when we got back."

"Sounds like Andy," Patrice teases.

"That's what I told him," Sharon smiles, "Labor all day. An hour of pushing."

"What time was he born?" Patrice asks as she sits on the side of the bed.

"9:37pm, there was some bleeding afterwards," Sharon says quietly, watching as Andy pops a pacifier into Oliver's mouth while Provenza continues to hold him.

"How bad was it?"

"Ah...just short of needing a hysterectomy, two units of blood last night. They're in here practically every hour to make sure I'm not going to bleed out."

"That's awful," Patrice says, putting a supportive hand on Sharon's arm. Sharon shrugs and smiles tiredly, pulling her gaze away from her husband.

"He's healthy, what's a little blood and exhaustion?" Sharon comments before calling out to Andy to bring Oliver over so Patrice could see him. The older woman takes Oliver from Andy and smiles as she cradles him in her arm.

"Oh aren't you just precious?" Patrice coos at the sleeping baby. Andy takes a seat on the bed next to Sharon, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as their friends continue to coo over the baby. After a while Patrice returns Oliver to Sharon as he starts to fuss.

"We are going to get going, but congratulations Commander, Flynn."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Sharon says, shushing Oliver as he cries, "And thank you for the flowers, and the balloon."

"Balloon's his," Provenza says, hiking his thumb at Andy with a look before escorting his wife out of the room.

"Oh goodness, you are a demanding little thing," Sharon says to Oliver as she snuggles him up before getting him latched on. Andy yawns and drops his head against Sharon's, rubbing his eyes again.

"Whose idea was it to tell people they could come visit us?"

"A delusional soul," Sharon responds with her own yawn, keeping an eye on Oliver as he eats. Oliver was almost done with his feeding by the time the second knock came on the door, Anna poking her head in a moment later.

"I hear there were no surprises over night," Anna comments with a smile as she comes in with Sharon's chart tucked under her arm, "That's good."

"Yeah they came in around four and turned one of the IVs off," Sharon says gesturing to the bags hanging by her bed.

"No more bleeding?"

"So far so good," Sharon says as she hands Oliver to Andy to burp, "Though they've barely let me out of bed since you left."

"Well let me take a look and we'll see if we can't get you up and around a bit more this morning."

"Maybe even a shower?" Sharon asks hopefully.

"Maybe even a shower," Anna nods before washing her hands and pulling on a pair of gloves. Andy busies himself with Oliver as Anna examines Sharon, pacing the room with the baby before the blonde snaps off her gloves and tosses them in the trash, "I think we're past the worst of it. So I'll let the nurses know to get you up and around, maybe do a couple laps of the ward. And I don't see why you couldn't take a shower as long as someone stays with you while you do it. We didn't top you off to full capacity so you're still down a bit on your blood volume, so you can still get bouts of wooziness and you'll probably tire more easily than normal."

"That sounds great. Thank you."

"I have another delivery coming in later this morning, so I'll be around today. Call if you need anything," Anna tells them as she makes a few notes in Sharon's chart before leaving them alone.

"We will, thank you again," Sharon smiles before looking up at Andy as he takes back his seat next to her on the bed, "You're going to help me shower later this morning right?"

"Of course," Andy nods and squeezes her leg with a smile, looking up as the kids burst through the door, juggling various bags of to-go food.

"We brought breakfast, we figured you guys were probably hungry," Rusty says as he sets his bags down.

"Starving," Andy and Sharon echo. Emily puts down a couple bags as well before moving to stand next to the side of the bed, peering down at the bundle in Andy's arms.

"Oh my god he's gorgeous," Emily comments.

"Nine pounds, three ounces. Nineteen inches long," Sharon tells the kids as Andy sits the baby up a little bit more, "Oliver Louis Flynn."

"Can I hold him?" Emily asks.

"Hand sanitizer," Sharon says, pointing to the bottle by the door. Emily squirts a couple pumps into her hand and rubs it over and up her wrists a bit before taking Oliver from her mother. A small smile stretches across Emily's lips as she cradles the bundle in her arms.

"Hi Oliver," Emily coos quietly, running her finger over her brother's cheek. Rusty hands Sharon and Andy their takeout containers along with packets of silverware.

"So how did everything go?"

"Good," Sharon smiles, "Long, long day, but he's here."

Sharon practically inhales her breakfast as she watches Emily with Oliver, Patrick standing behind her and leaning over her shoulder to look at the baby.

"You know he kinda looks like you," Patrick comments quietly, his hands on Emily's shoulders.

"He is my brother, I'd hope he at least kind of looked like me," Emily grins, "I can't get enough of his hair. It's so red. I always wanted red hair like my mom when I was little."

"I can't imagine you as a redhead," Patrick replies, a smile spreading over his lips.

"I dyed it a couple times in high school. I'll have to show you the pictures," Emily promises, starting to sway back and forth as she steals time with her new brother while everyone eats. Patrick's hands move down to her hips as he moves with her, his chin resting on her shoulder, "We'll probably make some pretty cute kids."

"Probably," Patrick agrees, "I can't wait to have babies with you."

"Mmm, keep waiting buster. You haven't even married me yet," Emily reminds him before handing Oliver over to Rusty once he and Gus finish eating. The group lingers for a while, cooing over the baby before they pack up all their trash and get ready to leave.

"We're going to go back to the house, but we'll be back later this afternoon. Do you need us to bring you anything?" Emily asks.

"Not right now, but we'll let you know if we think of anything," Andy says, smiling at Emily. The brunette leans down and presses a kiss to his cheek before herding the rest of the men out of the room. Andy takes Oliver from Sharon and places him in the bassinet that had been moved to the end of the bed. A nurse pops in a moment later, checking over Sharon's vitals and writing a few things down.

"Did you want us to take him down to the nursery at all?"

"No, I think we're still good for now," Sharon smiles, "I was hoping to take a shower though, Andy was going to help me with that."

"Sure, let me get you unhooked from a couple things here," The nurse says before turning off a few monitors and unhooking the remaining IVs, "Just press the call button when you're done. Someone will come back in and get you hooked back up. And there's an emergency cord in the bathroom, just in case."

Sharon nods and smiles thanking the nurse before she leaves. Andy helps Sharon out of bed and over to the bathroom, turning the water on in the shower to warm up. He helps her undress, bundling up the clothes that were hers before hanging up the things that were the hospital's.

"Think you'll be okay for a second while I grab your clean clothes?" Sharon nods and climbs into the shower, not bothering to pull the curtain. Andy puts her dirty clothes away before grabbing clean ones and going back to the bathroom. He sits down on the toilet and leans his head back against the wall with a yawn.

"I don't know that a shower has ever felt so heavenly," Sharon says as she washes up, locking eyes with Andy as she tips her head to the side to rinse her hair out.

"You deserve a better shower after everything," Andy tells her, "You did great, really."

"You were pretty great too," Sharon smiles at him, soaking for a few more minutes before turning the water off. Andy gets up and wraps her in a fluffy white towel, helping dry her off, "My sexy hospital issue underwear please."

Andy laughs and hands her the packet of a new pair of underwear. Sharon braces herself against his shoulders as she pulls them on. He hands her a bra, helping her clasp it shut before offering a pair of shorts. Sharon pulls them on and steps into the robe Andy was holding up for her before flicking her hair out from under the collar.

"Come on, I'll brush your hair," Andy says as he guides her back out to the bed. Sharon stops him before he can help her back into bed, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug and resting her head on his chest. Andy's arms wrap around her holding her close as he presses his lips to her head, "We haven't been this close in a few months."

"You're right," Sharon smiles. She looks up at Andy, her chin resting on his chest, "Thank you."

"For what?" Andy asks, arching his eyebrow.

"Everything," Sharon murmurs, "I have been completely unbearable since I got sick a few weeks ago and I was a hot mess most of the day yesterday and that's putting it lightly. And Oliver...he's so perfect, who would have thought we'd make something like that?"

"Well judging how all this came about, I'd say no one," Andy smiles before pressing his lips to Sharon's, "I love you. Even when you're a hot mess."

"I love you too," Sharon replies with a soft smile. Andy holds her for a moment longer before helping her back into bed. He presses the call button as he tugs the blankets up and grabs her brush from her bag before sitting down next to her and brushing out the damp red locks.

"I like your hair this color. I'd forgotten how red it really is."

"Mmm, stopped getting it colored after I found out I was pregnant," Sharon comments as she runs her fingers through the developing curls, shaking them out slightly, "It hasn't been this natural in a long time."

A nurse comes in a few minutes later and hooks Sharon back up to a couple of her IVs and one of the monitors. Andy puts the brush away before stretching out along the length of the bed next to Sharon, pressing a kiss to her head. Sharon snuggles up and yawns as she drops her head against his chest and closes her eyes.

"Mid morning nap?"

"Sounds good to me," Andy murmurs, closing his own eyes as well.

* * *

[TBC]


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you everyone for your reviews, I really appreciate them and usually check them in the morning so it's always a great start to my day.

* * *

Sharon leans down with a smile as Pickle comes trotting over to the door as they come inside.

"Hi puppy!" She coos, picking him up. Pickle laps at her face a few times, causing Sharon to laugh as she ruffles his ears, "I missed you, yes I did I missed you while we were gone. But I brought you something."

Andy sets the carseat on the coffee table in the living room. Sharon sets Pickle down on the couch before unbuckling Oliver and sitting down with him.

"Pick, this is Oliver," Sharon says, holding up Oliver so the dog can look at him. Pickle stands on Sharon's leg, leaning closer to sniff Oliver. The baby lets a frown that was decidedly his mother's cross his face as Pickle sniffs over his face and head. Pickle gives Oliver a long lick over his head, making his hair stick up before curling up on Sharon's lap resting his head on Oliver's legs, "See I told you you'd like him."

"I think they're going to be good pals," Andy comments as he moves the carseat to sit by the door and takes their cooler bag to the kitchen, depositing a couple packets of breastmilk into the fridge. He plucks a sticky note off the front of the fridge before going back to the living room, "Rusty and Emily went to the store, they should be back soon. You need anything?"

"I'd say remind them to actually buy vegetables. Those two at the store we'll end up with a fridge full of frozen pizza and ice cream," Sharon comments as she settles into the corner of the couch, patting the space next to her. Andy kicks his shoes off and walks over, sinking down on the couch next to her. He grabs the remote and flips the tv on, changing channels for a few minutes before settling on a Christmas movie he knew Sharon liked. Sharon eventually dozes off herself, head drooped back against the couch as she keeps her arm curled around Oliver and a hand on Pickle's back.

The trio manages to get in a decent nap before Rusty and Emily get back from the store. Pickle hops down and runs over to the door, doing laps around Emily's feet as they carry bags inside. Sharon takes in a deep breath and stretches out at the commotion, hugging Oliver closer. Emily and Rusty set their bags down in the kitchen and Emily tells Pickle to stay out of them before going to lean over the back of the couch, kissing her mother's cheek before smiling at Oliver.

"Hi Ollie." Oliver cracks open his eyes and wrinkles his nose before letting out a long whine as he burrows into Sharon's chest, starting to cry. Sharon shushes him quietly, pulling him closer to her chest before moving her top to the side and letting him latch on.

"Rusty and I are going to make dinner and Patrick should be back soon," Emily tells Sharon and Andy before going back to the kitchen to help Rusty. Andy moves one of their throw pillows under Sharon's arm and presses a kiss to her cheek.

"Thank you," Sharon smiles.

"I'm going to go take a shower, you gonna be okay?" Andy asks as he stands.

"Yeah," Sharon nods assuringly. Andy presses a quick kiss to her lips before lumbering down the hall towards their bedroom. He comes out a bit later with damp hair, dressed in gym pants and Dodgers shirt, bare feet shuffling across the hardwood floor. He reaches down and takes Oliver from Sharon, shushing the little boy as he fusses.

"Why don't we give your ma a bit of a break, hmm?" Andy says, hugging him close, "Let me give you the rest of the tour."

Sharon watches with a small smile as Andy walks Oliver through the house, talking to him in a quiet voice as he points things out. She pushes herself off the couch and pads into the kitchen, pressing a kiss to Rusty's head before opening the fridge.

"Anything I can get you mom?" Emily asks as she puts a pot of water on the stove. Sharon shakes her head as she grabs a bottle of soda water before closing the fridge.

"What's for dinner?"

"Pasta bake," Rusty replies.

"Sounds great," Sharon smiles, stealing a green pepper off of Rusty's cutting board before calling out for Pickle and taking him out to the back yard. She throws his ball for him a few times before letting him run around a little bit. She follows the puppy back inside refilling his water bowl and giving him his dinner before closing the back door, "What do you guys think about getting some of those patio heaters for the Christmas party? We could have more space since we'll have quite a few people coming."

"You're still having the party?" Emily asks as she dumps some pasta into the water.

"Of course, why wouldn't we?"

"You just had a baby, mom, I don't think people would expect you to throw some elaborate Christmas party."

"It's Oliver's first Christmas, and it's our first Christmas in the house. Your grandparents are coming. Perfect excuse to have a party," Sharon smiles.

"A sense of occasion?"

"Exactly," Sharon comments, pressing a kiss to her daughter's cheek, "I'm going to go lay down for a bit, let me know when dinner is ready?"

"Of course," Emily smiles. Sharon slips out of the kitchen and down the hall. She pauses in the doorway to the nursery, watching Andy rock back and forth with Oliver as he talks to him, the baby looking up with rapt attention.

"I'm gonna lay down for a little bit," Sharon tells him. Andy looks up and smiles, nodding.

"Enjoy." Sharon nods before heading the rest of the way to the bedroom. She strips down to her underwear and slides between the sheets, humming happily at the feel of the cool sheets against her bare skin. She rests her head against her pillow and lets out a big yawn before closing her eyes and starting to doze off.

Andy nudges Sharon a while later as he holds Oliver in the crook of his arm. Sharon cracks an eye open, before stretching out as she opens both of them after letting out a big yawn.

"He hungry?" She asks as she swings her legs over the side of the bed, grabbing her robe and tying it around her waist before walking over and pressing a kiss to Oliver's cheek as he fusses. Andy shakes his head as he bounces the baby a little bit.

"Diapers? I thought you said you got some."

"I did," Sharon says as she leaves the bedroom and goes down to the nursery with Andy. She rubs the sleep out of one eye before pulling out a basket from the bottom of the changing table. She grabs one of the cloth diapers inside and holds it up for him.

"The hell is that?"

"A diaper," Sharon says as she sets it down and takes Oliver. She lays him out on the changing table and undresses him from the onesie they had brought him home in before taking off the disposable diaper he had gotten at the hospital, ignoring his angry cries for the most part. She wraps it up and tosses it at Andy before dressing the baby in the diaper she'd grabbed from the basket, "The third clasp should be snug enough for him, but not too tight. And still try to tuck it under a little bit so it doesn't rub against his cord."

"Uh huh..." Andy nods, a confused look on his face. Sharon laughs and grabs a pair of pants and a light longsleeve shirt for the baby before redressing him. She gives him his pacifier and hands him to Andy in exchange for the balled up diaper, "What just happened?"

"You failed your first diaper duty," Sharon grins and presses a kiss to his cheek before showing him the basket again, "Cloth diapers. We have enough to get through about two days before we need to wash. When you take him out of one just take the inserts out and throw both parts in the bin in the laundry room between the washer and the sink. I taped the washing instructions on top of the bin. The diapers are supposed to last him until he's about a year old...give or take."

"Ah," Andy nods. Sharon smiles and stands on her toes to look at Oliver in his father's arms.

"And his cord still needs to stay dry until it falls off, so he's better off being dressed in separates than bodysuits. Aren't you bubba?" Sharon asks as she tickles his belly gently. Sharon winks at Andy before taking the diaper out to the kitchen and putting it in the trash. She jumps when she turns on her heel and sees Patrick sitting at the table with Emily and Rusty, her hand immediately clutching her robe a little bit more closed as a blush colors her cheeks.

"Forget about Patrick, mom?" Emily teases.

"Sorry, really, forget I'm here," Patrick apologizes, "I don't want you to be uncomfortable in your own home."

"No, no it's fine, just surprised. Probably would have picked a different robe," _And maybe at least put a bra on_ , Sharon tells herself as she smiles at Patrick, "Dinner almost ready?"

"Bout ten more minutes," Emily says as she looks at the timer on the oven.

"I am going to go change then," Sharon says, turning on her heel once again and heading for the bedroom, shutting the door behind her with just a smidge more force than normal. Rusty laughs as he gets up, grabbing dishes to set the table.

* * *

Sharon sighs as she settles into bed next to Andy, resting her head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around her waist and drops a kiss to her forehead.

"We survived our first day," Sharon murmurs, her eyes on the bassinet at the foot of their bed.

"We did," Andy agrees as he tosses the newspaper onto his bedside table, taking off his glasses, "He go down okay?"

"He did," Sharon says as she turns her head up and catches Andy's lips in a soft kiss, "You were great today. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," Andy says, squeezing her close.

"I want to," Sharon smiles as she rests her chin on his shoulder, "I appreciate everything you do for us."

"Well you're very welcome," Andy smiles back at her. Sharon kisses him again, humming quietly.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Andy replies, rubbing his hand down her side. Sharon snuggles up to his side as her hand wraps around his waist, turning her eyes to the news as Andy turns the tv on. She barely makes it to the weather before she's snoozing away on Andy's shoulder. He smiles and drops another kiss on her head before starting to flip through the channels, settling on an action movie that had just started. His eyes start to droop shut just as the movie is wrapping up before snapping open as an angry cry filters through the room.

Sharon stirs, starting to lift her head from Andy's shoulder before he shushes her. He lowers her down to her pillow before pressing a kiss to her forehead as he slips out of bed.

"I'm up, I'll get him," Andy whispers before picking Oliver up and shushing him, trying to entertain him with his pacifier as he carries him to the kitchen. He manages to get a bottle warmed up before offering it to Oliver. Andy smiles as he latches on hungrily before going to sit down in the recliner in the living room.

Oliver works his way through the bottle, eyes droopy by the end of it. Andy takes the bottle from him and gives him his pacifier back before rinsing out the bottle and leaving it in the sink. By the time they slip back into the bedroom, Oliver was fast asleep. Andy lowers him into the bassinet and kisses his head before sliding back into bed next to Sharon and sighing as she snuggles back up to his side.

* * *

As the week wore on Sharon and Andy quickly settled into a rhythm with the baby, trying to do as much as possible themselves and not lean on Emily and Patrick to help out, realizing they wouldn't be around forever. Sharon strokes her hand over Oliver's head and smiles at him as he lays in his Boppy. Oliver flails his arm in her direction as his mouth opens in a wide smile.

"Look at that sweet smile," Sharon murmurs as she strokes her fingers over his cheek. She looks up at the clock as the doorbell rings before pushing herself up off the floor and padding over to the door. She looks through the peephole and smiling as she opens the door to Gavin and Andrea, "Hi guys!"

"Hey sexy mama," Gavin grins, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he steps into the house. Sharon rolls her eyes and opens the door wider for Andrea to come in. She shuts the door behind them before leading them into the living room.

"We brought gifts, wine, and party pooper brought paperwork," Andrea says, holding up a large gift bag to Sharon before setting the bottle of wine in her hand down on the table.

"You didn't need to bring anything," Sharon says as she takes the bag. She sits back down on the couch next to Oliver, tickling his toes gently, "You have visitors, bubba."

Oliver lets out an angry yell as his foot jerks away, looking up as Andrea leans down and picks him up. Sharon holds a pacifier up to the blonde as Gavin hands her a stack of papers with an array of sticky note arrows sticking out of the side.

"Is your mama being mean to you?" Andrea coos at the baby, bouncing him in her arms.

"Red arrows are changes to the trust, yellow arrows are changes to the general will, and green arrows are signatures," Gavin explains. Sharon leans back into the corner of the couch and begins to skim over the document, "Where's Andy?"

"Meeting. Emily and Patrick are out for dinner. It's the first time we've been alone since we came home," Sharon answers looking up at Oliver as Andrea sways him back and forth, "It's kind of nice."

"He's so tiny," Andrea comments as she takes a seat on the couch. Gavin grabs the bottle of wine and carries it to the kitchen.

"Shar, where's your bottle opener?"

"Right of the stove," Sharon calls back as she turns her eyes back to the paperwork in her hands, "Trust me he didn't seem that tiny trying to push him out."

"Never going to live that one down is he?"

"Not a chance. He had almost three pounds on Emily and Ricky, _and_ I was in labor longer. I'll hold it over his head at least through college," Sharon grins as she signs off on the first green arrow. Gavin brings in the open wine bottle with three empty glasses. He pours out a full glass for himself and Andrea before arching his eyebrow at Sharon. She holds her fingers about an inch and a half apart, not taking her eyes away from her reading. Gavin dishes out a smaller amount for her before setting the bottle down and holding her glass out to her, "Thank you."

"My pleasure," Gavin says as he sits in one of the arm chairs in the living room, crossing his legs, "How are you doing? You look great."

"I'm exhausted. Andy's a great help, but it's just a rhythm to get in to. He's up eating every couple hours and sometimes I just can't stop holding him or looking at him," Sharon says, "And I'm still worn out from everything that happened during the delivery."

"How long did they say it would be before you were back to normal?"

"Few weeks at least," Sharon shrugs as she finishes signing off on the forms in her lap, handing them back to Gavin, "Thank you for bringing these."

"No problem," Gavin smiles, tucking them in his bag. Sharon takes a sip of the red wine he had poured for her before sighing as she sinks into the throw pillows. She casts a loving look at Gavin as the wine rolls across her tongue.

"You brought my favorite."

"Of course," Gavin replies, taking a drink himself before setting his glass down and leaning forward, "Hand him over Hobbs."

Andrea shifts her hold on Oliver and hands him over to Gavin before picking up her wine glass and taking a drink. Gavin leans back in the chair and smiles as he looks Oliver over.

"He really does look like you."

"I think he looks like Andy," Sharon replies as she takes another sip. Gavin tilts his head as he looks at the baby, before shaking his head emphatically.

"Except for the stuck up hair, nah."

"Oh my god, I know," Sharon grins as she picks up the gift bag she'd set down next to the couch, "I can't get it to stay down."

"It works for him," Gavin assures her. Sharon pulls the paper out of the bag before pulling out quite a few pieces of clothing.

"You guys," Sharon sighs as she lays the clothes out on her lap, "You really shouldn't have."

"My godson only wears the best," Gavin smiles.

"Trust me I talked him down," Andrea says with a smile. Sharon continues to unfold the clothes before finding a bottle of lotion at the middle. She gasps and picks the bottle up, unscrewing the lid before taking a deep inhale, "And I figured you deserved something too."

"Thank you, really this is great," Sharon smiles at both of her friends before putting the items back into the gift bag.

Gavin and Andrea stay a while longer, passing the baby back and forth and finishing off the rest of the bottle between the two of them after Sharon refuses a refill on her half glass. Andrea rinses out the bottle and puts it with the recycling before following Gavin out of the house, saying goodbye to Sharon and a fussy Oliver. Sharon shuts and locks the door behind them before shushing Oliver as he moves on to full blown crying.

"You were a good boy tonight," Sharon murmurs in his ear as she carries him down the hall to the bedroom. She climbs into her side of the bed, sitting up against the headboard before helping him latch on. Her hand strokes gently along his back as she lets her eyes slip closed and her head drop back slightly.

When he gets home an hour later Andy finds them in a similar position, both fast asleep. He smiles before quietly changing into his pajamas, lifting Oliver gently out of Sharon's arms and laying him down in his bed. He strokes Sharon's hair from her face and presses a kiss to her head, shuffling her down the bed slightly so she was laying properly on her pillows. She makes a small sound and snuggles into her pillow as he pulls the blankets up around her.

* * *

[TBC]


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks to everyone for their continued reviews. This chapter we're throwing a bit of drama back into the story.

Also as a side note - please consider in the last chapter that Gavin and Andrea probably stayed at Sharon's for a couple hours giving time for the _half_ glass of wine she had to work through her system.

* * *

Sharon looks up as Andy pads into the nursery, her head propped up on her hand as she lazily rocks the chair back and forth with her foot. Oliver was sprawled across her chest sleeping, but snuffling lightly.

"How long have you been in here?" Andy whispers as he sits down on the footstool.

"Few hours," Sharon murmurs, looking back at Oliver, "He's been...I don't even know what word I'm looking for anymore. This is the third night in a row."

"You want me to take him?"

"I'll be fine," Sharon assures Andy. Oliver takes a deep breath and lets out a long whine as he curls into his mother more. She hums quietly and shifts her grip on him, rubbing her hand over his back and patting gently. Oliver settles again, his tiny fingers curling against the skin of Sharon's chest, "You know sometimes I swear I forget I've done this before."

"It's been a while," Andy smiles. Sharon nods tiredly and yawns as she stops the rocking of the chair. She looks at Oliver with anticipation as they stop. She sighs and lifts herself into a standing position, pressing her lips to his head as she nods her head towards the door to Andy. The couple make their way back to their bedroom and Sharon leans down, laying Oliver down into his bassinet. He curls up and his nose wrinkles. Sharon immediately drops down to her knees, shushing him as she rocks the bassinet back and forth. Her free hand strokes over his hair attempting to calm him down.

"Mama really needs you to go to bed, sweet pea," She whispers. She lets out a soft sigh as his face relaxes and he sinks back in to sleep. She continues to rock him for a few more minutes before standing up and climbing into bed next to Andy. She lets out a groan as she sinks into the pillows, rubbing her fingers over her eyes. Andy drapes his arm over her waist and presses a kiss to her head.

"You're a good mom," He whispers. Sharon lets out a small laugh as she looks over at Andy, a tired tinge to her green eyes.

"I don't feel like it when he cries like that," She murmurs.

"The doc said it's probably just a food sensitivity," Andy reassures her, "He's got an appointment on Monday."

"I know," Sharon sighs, resting her hand on Andy's arm. Andy sighs and squeezes her before reaching over to his bedside table and opening the drawer. He pulls out a Tiffany blue box and shuts the drawer quietly before holding it out to Sharon.

"Here," Andy says as he wraps his arm around Sharon.

"What is this?"

"Present," Andy says. Sharon opens the box and smiles when she sees the necklace and earrings inside, "For Oliver."

"I don't think they're really his style," Sharon jokes. Andy laughs softly and kisses her head. She closes the box and presses her lips to Andy's as she rests the box in her lap, "Thank you. They're beautiful."

"You're beautiful," Andy replies, kissing her again. Sharon puts the box on her bedside table and snuggles up to Andy, resting her head on his shoulder. Andy rubs his hand up and down her back, closing his eyes, "Sleep. You've earned it."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

Sharon hums quietly to the Christmas music she had playing in the kitchen as she sways back and forth with Oliver strapped to her chest. She presses a soft kiss to his head as he sleeps.

"You're gonna meet so many people today," Sharon whispers as she frosts cookies, "And they are just going to love you."

Pickle paws at Sharon's leg, looking up at her with pitiful eyes. Sharon looks down and smiles before letting him out into the back yard, shivering as some cool air breezes in. She returns to the island, picking up another bag of frosting and starting on the snowflake cookies.

Pickle waddles back in a while later and curls up in his bed in the corner of the kitchen snoozing as Sharon finishes frosting all of the cookies that Emily had baked the day before. She sets them on the counter to set before opening the fridge and perusing it's contents.

"What sounds good for breakfast, little man?" Sharon asks in a quiet voice. Oliver just lets out a soft sigh, his fingers curling around the wrap as he snuggles closer. Sharon grabs the makings for waffles from the fridge before getting down the dry ingredients from the cupboard. She whips together a quick batter, dipping her finger in for a taste before plugging in the waffle iron. As it heats up she looks down at Oliver, smiling as she sees him staring up at her with wide brown eyes, "Well, good morning. You seem to be in a much better mood."

Sharon strokes his cheek gently, smiling as he opens his mouth and sticks his tongue out.

"What do you think? Is it time for your breakfast as well?" Oliver lets out a loud sound and Sharon laughs, helping him to latch on. She runs her fingers through his hair as she watches for a moment before turning back to fixing breakfast for the rest of the family. Sharon makes a stack of waffles as he continues to eat before getting out some fruit and setting the table, smiling as people start to filter down to the kitchen.

"What're you doing up already?" Andy asks as he comes up behind her, pressing a kiss to her head as he wraps an arm around her waist, "Besides being an all around amazing wife and mother."

"Mmm, that's all I've been doing," Sharon grins, turning her head to kiss him, "I got up to feed him a couple hours ago and couldn't get back to sleep. So, I started finishing cookies. And then once I finished the cookies I started making breakfast. I think I'm finally starting to get that second wind back."

"You're something else, you know that?"

"You still love me," Sharon smiles.

"Very much so," Andy assures her with a smile, "How's the little prince this morning?"

"Fine, he really likes the wrap, quite the snuggler. Seems to be in a better mood."

"Wonder who he got that from," Andy quips. Sharon rolls her eyes and reaches down to help Oliver unlatch before switching him to the other side, fixing her shirt. His small hand curls around a curl of Sharon's hair as he settles in, "Kid gets more boob action than I do."

"Soon," Sharon promises, tapping Andy on the nose before going to fix her own breakfast.

"Mom this looks great," Emily says as she pads into the kitchen, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, baby," Sharon says, pressing a kiss to Emily's cheek as she takes a seat at the end of the table, tucking into her food.

"And the cookies look amazing too. You did all of this this morning?"

"Couldn't sleep," Sharon comments, slapping Rusty's hand as he tries to grab a cookie, "Those are for later."

"Owww, mean," Rusty says as he shakes his hand.

"We were gonna leave for the airport about an hour, is there anything that you need while we're out?" Emily asks as she sits down next to Patrick with her breakfast.

"I don't think so," Sharon says, looking over at Andy, "Can you think of anything?"

"Not off the top of my head. We'll call if we think of something?"

"Sure, what time are Nana and Pop-pop supposed to get in?"

"I think the same time as your brother. I wouldn't bother going inside, it's going to be a mad house today."

"I already told Nana that we were parking closer to their terminal, but that Ricky was coming in too so we had to wait for him," Emily assures her mother.

* * *

"We're back!" Emily calls out as she opens the front door, letting her grandparents and brother in as she tosses her keys onto the doorside table. Andy comes out of the kitchen with a towel over his shoulder, wiping his hands off, "Where's mom?"

"Laying down with your brother," Andy replies, greeting everyone, "Ricky the room upstairs is made up for you if you want to put your things down."

"Awesome thanks," Ricky smiles slightly before heading up the stairs with his bag.

"John, Kathy, how was your trip?"

"It was good," Kathy smiles, hanging up her coat before embracing Andy, "Are you sick? You look tired."

"Life with a fussy three week old," Andy replies.

"He's fussy?"

"Ah, we're pretty sure he's got an allergy or something. He was up half the night crying. Supposed to go see the doctor on Monday to see what's up."

"Oh," Kathy frowns, "That's not good."

"Let me give you guys the tour," Andy says with a smile before starting to show his in-laws around the house. Sharon meets them in the backyard after Andy finishes showing them around, holding out a wide awake Oliver to Andy, "Hey big guy!"

"I think my arm is permanently numb," Sharon says as she shakes out her arm before hugging her parents. She sighs happily when her father squeezes her tight, taking a moment to rest her head on his shoulder as her mother begins to coo over the baby.

"How are you doing honey?" John asks as he cups his daughter's face in his hands. Sharon leans into the familiar and comforting touch, a small smile on her lips as she covers one of the hands with her own.

"I'm doing good. We're doing good."

* * *

Sharon smiles as she makes her way over to Andy, leaning up to kiss his cheek as she sets her drink down on the table next to him.

"You were staring."

"I can't help it," Andy says, leaning down to capture her lips, "You look amazing in that dress."

"Flatterer," Sharon comments with a loving smile as he pulls back, "Have you seen the baby? He should be hungry soon, and I'd like to get to him before he gets fussy."

"Um, last I saw Rusty head into the back yard with him, but that was about half an hour ago," Andy shrugs.

"I'll see if I can find them then," Sharon smiles, pressing another kiss to Andy's lips before slipping away once again. She moves around the house, looking for her two sons, occasionally pausing to say hi to some one or ask if they had seen Rusty. By the time she circles around through the house and the back yard a look of worry starts to settle on her face as she moves down the hallway to check the nursery and bedrooms.

Andy catches the flare of Sharon's gray dress out of the corner of his eye as she disappears down the hallway, assuming she had found Oliver and was taking him to the nursery. He turns back to his conversation with Provenza before looking up when he sees her reappear a few moments later a deeply troubled look on her face. Sharon shoves her way through the crowd of people in their house over to Andy, grabbing on to his arm as she gets closer.

"Shar, what is it?"

"I can't find Rusty or Oliver anywhere."

"What do you mean you can't find them?"

"I looked in the back yard. I looked through the house, the bedrooms, the nursery. I can't find them anywhere. I even tried calling Rusty and his phone just goes straight to voicemail," Sharon says, her tone getting more panicked as she talks. Andy squeezes her arm before pulling her with him over to the stereo. He turns the music down and climbs onto a chair.

"Alright everybody listen up!" Andy waits for the talking to stop and everyone to turn their eyes to him, "Who has Oliver?"

Murmurs spread across the group as everyone looks at each other, not a single soul fessing up to having the baby.

"Okay, has anyone seen Rusty?" Sharon grips onto the edge of the chair Andy was standing on, her knuckles turning white as she looks at the crowd of people continuing to shrug and murmur, not having an answer for either question. Had something managed to happen to Rusty and Oliver with this many people around?

"Everyone please stay put while we get this figured out," Andy tells everyone before stepping down off the chair. Sharon grabs his arm in an iron tight grip, looking at him with a terrified look in her eyes.

"Andy, where is my baby?"

* * *

[TBC]


	19. Chapter 19

Andy closes the door to the nursery behind him quietly before walking over to the chair in the corner Sharon was curled up in. He kneels down next to the arm and takes her hand in his kissing her knuckles. She sniffs and turns her head to look at him, her eyes wet and red.

"The team is heading out on a few leads. They had probably only been gone about 45 minutes or so by the time we noticed they were gone," Andy tells her, stroking his thumb over her knuckles, "We talked to everyone that was here and the chief has an APB out and they're opening up tiplines down at the station."

"It has to be Stroh..." Sharon murmurs, looking down at her and Andy's hands.

"It might be. Might be someone else we pissed off. I don't want to risk jumping to any conclusions right now," Andy comments squeezing her hand, "Rusty is going to protect his brother."

"That's what terrifies me," Sharon whispers, swallowing back a new set of tears. Andy stands and effortlessly lifts her out of the chair, sitting down before settling her on his lap. She automatically buries her face in his shoulder as she draws shuddering breaths. Andy rubs his hand up and down her back as he presses his lips to her forehead.

"I'll tear this city apart before I let anything happen to either of them," Andy murmurs against her skin.

"I know," Sharon replies, hugging him closer. Andy sits quietly with her for a while before his phone starts to ring. Sharon sits up in anticipation as he answers it after seeing that it was Provenza calling. She listens to the one sided conversation as Andy's hand strokes absentmindedly over her waist. After a bit he hangs up and squeezes Sharon as he moves to stand.

"They're bringing someone down to the station. I'm going to go in."

"I'm coming with you," Sharon says as she stands.

"Shar..."

"I'm coming with you," Sharon repeats as she narrows her eyes, her tone using no room for argument.

"Alright, alright, grab your coat," Andy says as he follows her out of the nursery. Sharon sniffs and moves her glasses to the top of her head as she wipes her face off, grabbing her coat from beside the door. She shrugs on the black wool coat and flips her hair out from under the collar.

"Where are you guys going?" Emily asks, her arms wrapped around her middle as she approaches Andy.

"We're going down to the station. Officers James and Howton are going to be outside if anything comes up. We'll call if anything changes."

"Is there anything that we can be doing?" Emily asks.

"Just stay here, don't go anywhere," Andy tells Emily giving her a reassuring smile before following her mother out the door. During their ride to the station Sharon sits quietly in the passenger seat, her hands folded in her lap as she looks out the window. As they begin to approach the station Sharon looks over at Andy and readjusts her glasses as she takes a deep breath.

"Who are they interviewing?"

"One of the neighbors. Tao might be bringing someone in as well."

"What information do they have?"

"Provenza said he saw Rusty approaching someone's car, he wanted to get them down here so we could do more official questioning," Andy says as he pulls into his parking spot. He ushers Sharon into the building and up to their floor, surprised when he sees the number of people shuffling around the office, running through the different tips they were getting. Sharon pauses as well her eyes scanning the room. The murder board catches her eye and she wanders over, her heels clacking gently against the tile, drowned out by the general hum of the room. Her heart clenches as she looks at the photo of Rusty and Oliver that had been taken earlier that morning before scanning across the board to the suspects. She's not surprised to see Stroh's picture on the board, a couple faces from the Zyklon Brotherhood, but surprise registers when she sees Jack's picture at the end of the line. Her hand reaches up and strokes over his face before turning to look at Andy.

"Why?"

"Couple people Provenza talked to said they're pretty sure they saw Jack at the party. But he wasn't there when we were interviewing everyone. Did you invite him?" Andy asks. Sharon shakes her head before pulling her hand away from the whiteboard.

"I haven't heard from Jack in…over a year. Definitely not since we moved out of the condo. I don't even know if he has our address," Sharon says, slipping past Andy and towards electronics. Buzz sits up a little straighter as she breezes through the door, taking a seat next to him.

"Commander."

"Hi Buzz," Sharon replies as she looks at the screen, "Want to bring me up to speed?"

"Lieutenant Provenza and Detective Sanchez are talking to Sarah Brown and her son, Timmy. They live around the corner and down the block slightly from you guys. When we were canvassing the neighborhood, Timmy said that he had seen Rusty about an hour before we talked to him," Buzz tells her, reaching over to turn the volume up. Andy squeezes Sharon's shoulder as he stands behind her. She reaches up and squeezes his hand, keeping a hold on him as they watch.

"So Timmy, what were you doing up so late?" Detective Sanchez asks.

"I was waiting for Santa, tomorrow is Christmas you know?"

"I had heard smoothing about that," Julio smiles, "Can you tell the Lieutenant and I what you saw out your window tonight?"

"I was looking out the window, looking for Santa. I saw a guy park his car across the street by the house on the corner. He got out and went in through the back gate," Timmy recounts, a look flitting across his small face that this was an unusual occurrence.

"Why do you remember that?"

"The back gate is usually locked. The people that live in the house have a little dog. I tried to go see him one time, but there was a lock on the gate. I think it's usually there cause any time someone tries to go in someone has to go out and let them in."

"Do you remember anything else about after the guy went in the back yard?"

"He came out a few minutes later. With someone else. I don't remember what his name is, but he spends a lot of time there, but he doesn't live there I don't think…" Timmy screws his face up in thought before shrugging, "Anyway, they came out a few minutes later. I think the guy that drove the car was yelling, and he pushed the other guy into the back of the car before he got in and drove off."

"Do you remember anything about the car he was driving?"

"It was white, but just a regular looking car like my mom's," Timmy shrugs.

"I have a four door sedan, compact," Sarah clarifies for her son.

"Timmy, do you think if we showed you some pictures you might be able to tell us who you saw?"

"I can try," Timmy shrugs. Provenza reaches under his notepad and pulls out a stack of photos. He lays one on the table in front of Timmy.

"Is that the second person you saw? The one you said spends a lot of time at that house?"

"Yeah," Timmy nods emphatically.

"Good," Provenza smiles, taking the picture back before setting out another one, starting with Stroh, "Was the man in the car this guy?"

"No," Timmy shakes his head, "Definitely not."

"Okay," Provenza nods, cycling through the rest of the pictures for Timmy before he sets down Jack's picture, "Last one, was it this guy?"

"Yeah! That's him!" Timmy nods with a smile, "That's the guy I saw earlier."

"Are you sure?"

"Mmhm! I've seen him around a couple times. Usually he just walks around the house once or twice and then leaves."

"You've seen him before today?" Provenza asks, surprised. "Yeah, definitely."

"Do you remember the last time you saw him before tonight?"

"Um…it was right after Thanksgiving. I thought it was weird because he came in the middle of the day, and the only other times I've seen him it's been night time," Timmy says.

"Well, thank you for all of your help tonight, Timmy. We'll be sure to put an extra good word in with Santa for tomorrow alright?" Julio says as he stands with Provenza, "An officer will be by in a couple minutes to take you guys home."

"No problem, Detective. I hope they find them," Sarah smiles before turning her attention to her son. Just as Julio and Provenza are walking out the door, Timmy jumps up.

"WAIT! I remembered something else."

"You remembered something else?" Julio replies, squatting down as Timmy rushes over, "What is it?"

"The guy, the old one. Before he put the other guy in the car he took something from him and then put it in the trunk. But I didn't see what it was."

"Well thank you for the extra information Timmy," Julio says with a small smile, ruffling the boy's hair.

Sharon shrugs off Andy's hand as she darts from the room. He follows her quick pace down the hall to the women's bathroom. He doesn't hesitate as he follows her in, wincing as she slams into the first open stall before dropping to her knees and throwing up. Andy slips into the stall behind her, gathering her hair into his hand as his hand rubs her back gently. Once she starts to dry heave he flushes the toilet and sinks down onto the floor next to her.

"Shar you gotta breathe," Andy tells her as he pulls her back to his chest, holding a tight arm around her. Sharon collapses back into his hold, starting to sob. He rests his head against hers, closing his eyes against his own tears.

* * *

Sharon lingers in the doorway as her team talks to her kids, observing quietly. She jumps as she feels Andy's hand on her back, turning slightly to look up at him.

"How are they doing?" He asks quietly.

"Emily hasn't talked to him in months. Ricky says that he just talked to him the other day about coming home. He knew we were having the party," Sharon tells him. She closes her eyes as she rests her head against his shoulder, wrapping herself around his arm.

"You should get some rest," Andy comments after a few moments, looking at his watch.

"I'm not sleeping until they're home," Sharon says, standing up and letting him go.

"At least take a shower or a bath or something," Andy suggests. Sharon moves away from him and down the hall. She grabs some sweats from their bedroom before going into the bathroom. She turns the water on hot before undressing and stepping under the spray.

Sliding down against the wall Sharon wraps her arms around her knees, burying her face in them. Her shoulders begin to shake as she cries. She in the shower until the water runs cold, finally standing and wiping her face off. With a shuddering breath Sharon steps out and towels off, dressing in the sweats she had grabbed before going to the nursery. She grabs her things to pump and sinks down in the rocking chair before setting up and turning the machine on. Andy comes in and sits across from her on the footstool, taking her feet into his lap and massaging gently.

"The team is rolling out now. Ricky had an address Jack was living at about a month ago. They're gonna check it out. Louie's gonna keep us in the loop," He tells her quietly.

"He's living in town?" Sharon asks.

"As of Thanksgiving he was. Ricky said he came down to see him," Andy explains. Sharon sighs and closes her eyes, leaning her head back against the chair. Andy continues to move his hands over her feet, sitting in silence with her.

"I want them back," Sharon breaks the silence with a whisper before handing Andy the two bottles as she cleans up.

"I know. I do too," Andy replies, taking a deep breath as he stands and swallowing hard, "Believe me I know."

* * *

[TBC]


	20. Chapter 20

It wasn't until late the next afternoon that they finally found their lead for the place that Jack was probably holding Rusty and Oliver. Everything that they had gathered at Jack's apartment pointed to his and Sharon's old house, which had recently just been purchased. As the teams prepared in the quiet neighborhood Andy and Sharon were arguing as she strapped herself into a kevlar vest before checking her gun.

"Sharon, you can't do this. That is exactly what he wants is to lure you in there. Who knows what he has up his sleeve."

"I don't care, Andy," Sharon says as she holsters her gun, "I'm getting our kids back."

"Sharon…" Andy tries to reason.

"If anyone can talk to him…look, he wants me. Just let me do this okay?!" Sharon yells before walking away from him towards the SWAT team. She talks to the squad leader and waits for their members to get into place before approaching the house with her gun drawn at her side. Her hand curls around the doorknob and turns as she pushes the door open. She pauses for a moment as she steps into the quiet house she had shared with her husband before their marriage had fallen apart.

Sharon could practically hear Emily and Ricky's lingering laughter, the pitter patter of their feet across the floor as she chased them around the house. She swallows and curls her hand around the grip of her gun before proceeding forward. She lifts her weapon as she moves around the corner, observing the scene. Sharon could tell that Rusty, bound to the chair he was sitting in, had some deep wounds and was barely conscious as her ex husband stood over him, pointing a gun in her face. She couldn't see or hear Oliver anywhere and the thought sent terror through her body.

"Sharon, so glad you could finally join us."

"What are you doing, Jack?" Sharon asks as her thumb flicks the safety off.

"Just a little tit for tat, you ruin my life, I ruin yours, our usual," Jack comments, "How does it feel to have everything you love ripped away from you?"

"Just let them go, Jack," Sharon says, her focus not wavering, "Whatever you want, you can have it just let them go."

"I wanted you. That's all I've ever wanted and you never wanted to give it to me."

"I'm not yours to have. I'm a person, not an object."

"I never should have let you go back to work after you had Ricky."

"You weren't even there! Besides someone had to pay the bills, replace all of the money you were throwing away at the bar or at the poker table," Sharon replies as her eyes narrow.

"And then! You bring home this mutt," Jack growls as he digs his fingers into a wound in Rusty's shoulder, causing the boy to cry out. Sharon swallows hard as she feels herself tear up at his pain, "And get yourself knocked up by your lieutenant. How could you do that to our children?"

"Our children? DO NOT TALK TO ME ABOUT OUR CHILDREN. They are my children, I raised them, I picked them up when they fell down, I paid for dance lessons and sports equipment. You have done nothing but hurt them and poison them," Sharon yells at him, "I will end you one way or another for coming after my children."

"All you've ever done is try to turn them against me!"

"All I've ever done is try to get you to love them!" Sharon replies as she lifts her gun higher, "Let them go. Just let them go. You're not getting out of here unscathed anymore."

"I never had any intention of letting them go," Jack says before straightening his aim, just as Sharon fires, her shot catching Jack in the neck. His eyes widen as his knees start to crumple, managing to get a shot of his own off before he sinks to the ground behind the chair. Sharon rushes forward, kicking the gun from his hand and gathering Rusty's face in her palms as the SWAT team flies in. She calls out for a medic as she brushes Rusty's hair from his face.

"Rusty, stay with me, okay?" Sharon encourages as she holds onto him.

"Ol…" Rusty groans as his eyes start to lose focus, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, "Oliver…"

"Where is he?"

"The…c-c-car," Rusty manages to choke out. The paramedics barely get to Rusty before Sharon moves out of the way as she sprints out of the house, unknowingly leaving a trail of blood behind her. She runs out to the street, her eyes searching out for the white car that Timmy had mentioned the day before. She spots the car across the cul-de-sac, her feet continuing to carry her forward not hearing a word anyone was yelling at her.

Sharon looks through the glass and smashes the drivers side window with the butt of her pistol, wrenching the door open before pressing the trunk release button and moving to the back of the car. She sinks down to her knees as she pushes the lid up, letting out a sob as she sees Oliver laying in the bottom amongst the jumbled contents of Jack's trunk. She reaches in and lifts him out, wrapping his fluffy blue blanket around him and burying her face to his neck. She's shocked at the cold feel of his skin and quiet volume of his cry in her ear. Andy trots over, coming to a halt next to Sharon, dropping to his knees himself as he sees the tuft of red hair sticking out from her shoulder.

"Oh thank god."

"I'm never letting you go ever again," Sharon whimpers as she holds Oliver close. Andy moves to wrap his arm around her pulling his hand back when he feels a sticky warmth on her side. He's surprised to see thick red coating his fingers and palm.

"Shar…you're bleeding." Sharon turns her head to look at Andy's hand before turning back to look at him, her eyes starting to roll back as she slumps into him.

* * *

Andy reaches his hand into the incubator and rests his hand on Oliver's bare stomach, smiling at the boy as his head flicks over to look at his father. They had him warming up in the incubator and on a little bit of oxygen, no other signs of trauma besides a strong appetite to be quenched.

"Look at you bub. You look like you're already feeling better," Andy comments as Oliver grabs onto his finger and squeezes, "Your sister was smart and brought some milk from home for you, and some extra warm pajamas for when you get out of this thing."

Oliver lets out a loud sound and kicks his legs, making Andy laugh.

"Yes, you are eventually going to get out of here. Must seem like just yesterday you were in one," Andy sighs as he looks at his watch, "Your mom's still in surgery. Probably will be for about another hour, but they said things didn't look too terrible when she came in. Just need to finish fixing her up. Rusty's probably going to be a while longer though…but they are both going to be very glad to see you when they wake up."

"Mr. Flynn?" Andy looks away from Oliver as a nurse approaches, holding a bottle in her hand, "Time for another feeding. If you want you can have a little skin time with Oliver and feed him yourself?"

"Sure, that sounds great."

"Go ahead and take a seat in the chair over there, I'll bring him over." Andy nods and moves over to the recliner the nurse had indicated. He sheds his shirt, draping it over the arm before taking Oliver from the nurse, smiling as he gurgles and squirms. The nurse hands him the bottle before draping a blanket over them.

"Thank you."

"No problem, let me know if you need anything." Andy nods before offering the bottle to Oliver, smiling as he latches on. Once Oliver finishes the bottle Andy sets it to the side and shifts him so they are laying chest to chest. He presses a kiss to his head, both of them dozing off at the same time.

The nurse wakes Andy a while later with a soft hand to his shoulder.

"Mr. Flynn, your wife is out of surgery."

"Mmm, thanks," Andy says rubbing his eyes. The nurse takes Oliver back and puts him back in the incubator as Andy stands and puts his shirt back on.

"She's in recovery up on the 8th floor. Once she gets moved to her own room we'll bring Oliver up."

"Thank you," Andy nods, reaching in to rub Oliver's head one last time before going in search of Sharon. He meets up with her doctor and the rest of the family in the waiting room on the 8th floor. He spends a few minutes talking to her doctor before thanking him and turning to talk to everyone else.

"Oliver is doing fine, they are getting him warmed back up and keeping his belly full. Sharon is out of surgery, she's going to be in recovery for a couple hours, then she'll be put in her own room. Last, I heard Rusty's surgery is going well, it shouldn't be too much longer," Andy updates them. Emily sighs and rubs the tears from her eyes, resting her head against Patrick's shoulder.

"Can we go see the baby?"

"Yeah, of course," Andy says moving closer to her and reaching out to squeeze her shoulder, "You alright?"

"Probably not," Emily shrugs, "But I'll probably feel a little better seeing the one person that managed to make it out of this relatively unscathed."

"He does have a way of making you feel better," Andy agrees. Emily manages a small smile before Patrick guides her out of the waiting room. Andy talks to Sharon's parents for a moment before heading down the hallway to the recovery area. He slips inside and finds Sharon's bed, sinking down in the chair next to it and taking her hand in his. He smiles as her eyes flutter open at his touch, scooting a little closer to the bed.

"Hey, how you feeling?"

"Like I got shot," Sharon croaks.

"Funny thing about that," Andy smiles, pressing his lips to her hand.

"Oliver? Rusty?"

"Oliver is fine, he's downstairs getting warmed up and fed. Rusty is in surgery still," Andy tells her, "They said he should be fine, the surgery is just taking a bit."

"Can I see him?"

"They'll bring him up when you get moved to your own room," Andy assures her, "For now rest."

"I love you," Sharon murmurs as her eyes start to close again.

"I love you too," Andy replies as he squeezes her hand gently. He sits with her as she wakes off and on for the next couple hours before she's moved to her own room. As the nurses get her settled the doctor briefs them on Rusty's condition. The boy was going to be in recovery for a while before he was settled in his own room, but the doctors had no worries about him making a full recovery.

Andy lets her parents and Emily visit as he goes downstairs to get Oliver, dressing him in the jump suit that Emily had brought before bundling him up and carrying him upstairs. He runs into her parents on the way, nodding as they tell him they were all going back to the house for the evening, and that they would be back in the morning.

"We'll bring breakfast," Kathy says with a smile.

"I think Sharon and Rusty would love that," Andy replies, waving them off before continuing on his way to Sharon's room. He steps inside quietly, noticing that she was asleep, and shuts the door behind himself. He walks around to her non injured side before sitting down. Oliver yawns and stretches out, snuggling into Andy as they sit. Andy rubs his back talking quietly to him as Sharon sleeps. After a while he looks up as her hand reaches out to touch Oliver's hair.

"Hi my sweet boy," Sharon murmurs. Andy smiles as he watches the boy's eyes widen before he starts to look around.

"Heard your mama did you?" Andy comments before shifting the baby over to Sharon. She wraps her free arm around him and cuddles him close.

"Oh, I've missed you," She murmurs as she presses her lips to his head, "I've missed you so much."

Oliver lets out a loud coo and tangles his fingers in Sharon's hair. She smiles and closes her eyes against the tears welling in her eyes. Andy reaches hand over and covers the hand Sharon had resting on the baby's back.

"I should have listened to you and not gone in there."

"If you hadn't I would have, and I'd probably be in a worse position than you. Entire damn gun was filled with Black Talons," Andy says, "And you know I don't talk as pretty of a game as you do."

"You're right about that," Sharon smiles, opening her eyes as she looks at Andy. She reaches up with her hand that had the IV in it, wiping her tears away with a soft sigh, "Thank you. For finding them."

"What have I told you about thanking me?"

"What have I told you about accepting my thanks?" Andy laughs and shakes his head. He looks down at his phone rings, taking his hand back as he digs it out of his pocket before lifting it to his ear.

"Flynn…they are…yeah…I'll be there in a few minutes," Andy talks quietly hanging up and standing, "Apparently the kids are trying to start World War Three at the house, and your parents are calling for reinforcements."

"Oh god…"

"You okay if I leave him here?"

"Definitely," Sharon assures Andy as he leans down and presses a kiss to her lips.

* * *

[TBC]


	21. Chapter 21

Andy can hear the voices when he pulls into the driveway, sighing as he gets out of the car, making his way inside. Emily and Ricky were in the throws of a blowout, shouting at each other across the living room as everyone else stood in the kitchen, watching quietly.

"How long have they been…"

"They were like this when we got back," Kathy tells Andy. Andy sighs and goes into the living room, grabbing a thick art book off the shelf. He lifts it up over his head and drops it on the ground, back side down. The book creates a loud, clapping thunk as it hits the ground.

"Now will you two shut the hell up!" Andy yells, as the sound causes a pause in the arguing. Emily crosses her arms over her chest as she throws a hate filled glare in her brother's direction. Ricky throws his hands up as she does, letting them clap down by his side.

"You wanna tell me what the hell is so important for you two to be yelling at each other like this? I had to leave your mother and your brothers at the hospital, to come down here and sort this out. So one of you better start talking."

"Apparently my mother raised a piece of shit for a son," Emily bites out.

"Oh come off it Emily. Jesus Christ I said I was sorry okay?"

"Sorry doesn't fucking cut it anymore. You chose Dad over Mom and now she's in the hospital, Rusty's in the hospital, Oliver - our three week old baby brother - is in the fucking hospital. A hospital you haven't been to. And where's Dad? Dad's fucking dead," Emily rages, "Dad's dead because he tried to kill Rusty, and Oliver, and Mom. You haven't seen Mom in months, but you fucking came to see Dad for Thanksgiving?"

"Oh like you're a saint, you hadn't talked to Dad in six months."

"I hadn't talked to Dad in six months because I was tired of getting pulled into his shit. He couldn't pull Mom in anymore, so what does he do? He starts trying to pull me in."

"He needed help, Emily!" Emily surges forward, leaning up into her brother's face, her brown eyes flaming.

"He stopped deserving help when he walked out on us!" Emily yells at Ricky her voice finally starting to break with hoarseness, "She's the one who raised us and you turned your back on her!"

Andy grabs Emily by the waist pulling her back before nudging her towards the kitchen.

"Go out back, take a deep breath," Andy orders her before turning on Ricky, "I've stayed out of this for longer than I probably should have. But your sister's right, you've hurt your mom. And it's obvious you've hurt Emily too. So you've got some things to think about, and I don't know that they are things you should think about here. Stay in town, go home, I don't care, but if you have any ounce of emotion left for your mother, you will go to the hospital and see her the second you leave this house."

Ricky swallows as he looks Andy in the eye before turning and walking to the guest room to grab his bag. Andy sighs and picks up the book he'd dropped, putting it back on the shelf before going out back to check on Emily. She was curled up on the porch swing, swaying back and forth.

"How you doing kid?" Andy asks, taking a seat next to her. Emily sniffles and looks over at him before shuffling closer and nestling into his side. He easily wraps his arm around her and presses a kiss to her head gently.

"I thought after Mom and Dad got divorced finally…he would stop ruining our lives," Emily whispers, "But things kept falling apart. I wish she had just left him the first time."

"Your mother has the tendency to want to see the good in people. It's why she never said anything about Ricky. It's why she gave your dad more chances than he was probably worth. Probably what kept her from throttling me when she worked in FID," Andy laughs, smiling when he gets a small chuckle out of Emily.

"What if there's no good anymore?"

"I don't know," Andy answers, resting his head against Emily's.

"Thanks…for being here, Andy."

"No problem," Andy says, squeezing her. They sit quietly, swinging back and forth for a while before Emily unfolds herself from his side and stands up.

"You should get back to Mom."

"You guys going to be okay?"

"I'll try to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the evening," Emily smiles bashfully. Andy laughs as he stands, reaching out and squeezing her shoulders. He walks her back inside before telling Kathy and John he was going back to the hospital.

"Call me if you guys need anything."

"Thank you, Andy," Kathy says, leaning up to kiss his cheek. Andy makes his way back to the hospital and up to the floor where Sharon and Rusty were staying. He pokes his head into Sharon's room and sees Ricky sitting next to her bed holding onto Oliver as he talks quietly to his mother, holding her hand. Andy watches them for a few minutes, smiling as Oliver lets out a yell while he holds onto his brother's finger, trying to stuff it in his mouth. He pushes away from the doorway, continuing his way down the hall to Rusty's room. He shuts the door quietly behind himself and takes a seat next to the bed, smiling when Rusty grunts before opening his eyes.

"Hey kid."

"Hey," Rusty rasps as he shifts into more of a sitting position, "Mom? Oliver?"

"Both of them are fine," Andy assures him as he takes the boy's hand, "They're just down the hall."

"Water?" Rusty asks. Andy sits up a bit and grabs a cup of water from the bedside table, putting a straw in it before holding it up for him to take a couple sips. He sets it back down on the tray table before Rusty rubs his face, groaning as he presses a little too hard on a couple of bruises, "What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"Just Jack showing up at the party...he had a gun," Rusty tells Andy, "He forced me to his car and took Oliver from me. I'm so sorry. If something happened to him..."

"Nothing happened to him. He's fine. Your mom's snuggling the hell out of him," Andy says, squeezing Rusty's hand, "I'm worried about you right now. Jack worked you over pretty good, you had a little bit of internal bleeding, some stitches...but you should make a full recovery."

"What about Jack?" Rusty asks as he reaches out to grab his cup with a wince, taking another drink. Andy helps him set the cup back down and sighs as he leans back in his chair.

"Your mom shot him. He didn't make it."

"Oh...wow..." Rusty says, settling back against his pillows with a sigh, "Ricky and Emily?"

"Ah...it's gonna be rough," Andy admits, thinking about what he had pulled apart at home, "It's gonna be rough."

"Merry freaking Christmas to us," Rusty grumbles as he sinks further into the bed, yawning and closing his eyes. Andy rubs his arm and squeezes.

"Get some rest, Rusty," Andy says quietly, sitting with him until he falls asleep again before getting up. He leaves Rusty's room and heads back down to Sharon's room, meeting Ricky as he steps out, "Hey."

"Hey," Ricky replies as he shrugs his coat on, "I'm going to go get a room downtown...I told Mom I'd come back in the morning."

"That'll be good," Andy nods. Ricky stuffs his hands in his pockets, very similar to the way his mother did. He swallows and sighs, looking Andy in the eye.

"Look, I'm sorry you had to leave Mom and Oliver to come deal with me and Emily...You would have thought all of this stuff would have stopped after they got divorced."

"Your sister shared the same sentiment," Andy tells him with a small smile, "Thank you for coming. I appreciate it and I know your mom does."

"No problem, have a good night," Ricky nods before heading down the hallway towards the elevator bank. Andy slips into Sharon's room and smiles at her as she throws a tired smile in his direction. He takes her hand and sits down on the edge of the bed.

"Arm numb yet?"

"A little bit, I don't want to let him go though," Sharon murmurs, looking down at the baby as he sleeps. Andy reaches over and lifts Oliver away from Sharon, shushing him as he whines. He snuggles him close and pats his back, pressing a kiss to his head. Sharon sighs and reaches over to rest her hand on Andy's leg as her eyes drowsily droop shut, "I never should have let any of them out of my stomach. Can't protect them out here."

"You protect them just fine," Andy tells her, covering her hand and squeezing softly, "You saved our boys."

"I didn't save the other one," Sharon murmurs as she starts to drift off, "You did though...you saved my boy, you brought him back to me. I love you so much, Andy."

"I love you too, Shar," Andy whispers as he kisses her hand, "I love you too..."

* * *

[TBC]


	22. Chapter 22

**An epilogue of sorts...**

* * *

Sharon sighs softly as she stands in front of the mirror in pajama pants and a nursing bra. Her fingertips gently trace over her abdomen, touching the fresh stretch marks and the puckered gunshot wound on her side as she bites her lip. Her eyes break away from her reflection as Andy comes into the bedroom with Oliver wrapped in a bath towel. She grabs her tank top off of the dresser and pulls it on before taking the baby.

"Oh look at you, Daddy got you all nice and clean," Sharon coos at Oliver as she gets him dressed in his pajamas, laying him out on the bed. Oliver lets out a loud gurgle and kicks his legs as Sharon tries to dress him, twisting his body to look at Andy as he sits on the opposite side of the bed, "Ol. You're really not making this easy."

"I don't think that he cares," Andy grins and grabs Oliver's stuffed elephant, redirecting his attention so Sharon could dress him easier. Sharon rolls her eyes with a small smile managing to stuff Oliver into a sleep suit before lifting him off of the bed. She presses a kiss to his head and rubs his back as she rocks back and forth on her feet with him, "What were you thinking about?"

"Hmm?" Sharon asks as she looks up from Oliver at Andy.

"When I came in just now. You looked like you were thinking."

"It's been a long, strange, wonderful year," Sharon comments as she sinks down into the bed, pulling Oliver's hand away from her top as he pulls on it, "You are a demanding little boy, you know that Mr. Flynn?"

Oliver grins as Sharon kisses his hand, using it as a chance to tangle his tiny fingers into her hair. She winces as he gets a few good tugs in before latching on and starting to eat hungrily. She untangles his fingers from her hair, letting him hold onto her pinky as he eats. She looks up at Andy with a soft sigh, reaching out with her toes to rub them gently along his thigh. Andy smiles and covers her foot with his hand, squeezing softly.

"It's been a year since we managed to defy all biological odds and made the most beautiful, red headed baby boy I've ever laid my eyes on," Sharon says with a smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners, "And that year has been a completely wild ride..."

"Would you do it all over again?" Andy asks with a small smile and an arched brow. Sharon nods as her smile widens.

"With you? In a heartbeat."

* * *

[The End]


End file.
